


Vanity's Bubbles

by Skara_Brae



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Slavery, Dubious Consent, IN SPACE!, M/M, Rating: NC17, Space! AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-08
Updated: 2014-06-03
Packaged: 2017-11-20 15:33:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 38,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/586908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skara_Brae/pseuds/Skara_Brae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Dean are sold into slavery in another galaxy as payment for a decades-old blood debt. Dean is soon rescued by a blue-eyed prince who claims they have a profound bond, while Sam is forced to make a deal with the devil in order to stay close to his brother…</p><p>NOW COMPLETE!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Nick Lucien sometimes hated his job. More often than not lately, it seemed. Once he had loved the high-profile job of an intersystem ship captain, traveling to the far reaches of the galaxy, but lately he had found himself thinking more and more of a house on the ground of his home planet, Enoch. Or perhaps a large apartment in the capital city of Pergamon. 

Right now, he was stuck baby-sitting a member of the Enochian royal family. While some people might have been eager to rub shoulders with one of the younger sons of a king, it had Nick secretly yearning for the nearest asteroid field. But here he was, stumbling around a marketplace on some backwater planet, trailing after Prince Castiel, answering all of his wide-eyed questions.

And this was only the second stop on his royal guest’s grand tour. There was nearly half a year left before they would finally get home. The hollowness that had been lurking in his chest for months got worse.

They had nearly reached the end of this provincial bazaar. It was a hot day, and the smell of roasting meat was making him feel slightly ill. Nick was thinking longingly of his own stateroom on the MorningStar and of a tall glass of Ambrosia, when his charge suddenly stopped.

“What’s that?” Castiel was pointing to a large orange tent, set up just outside of the market grounds. Purple streamers drifted from the tops of the tent poles.

Nick kicked himself inwardly. Why couldn’t they have turned around ten steps ago? He cleared his throat. “It’s a Grimweld tent.”

Castiel turned and looked at him, the question clear in his eyes.

Nick sighed. “It’s a slave market. They are selling slaves.”

“What!?” The outrage was clear in the prince’s voice. “Slavery has been outlawed in this galaxy!”

“That is true, but the Grimwelds argued before the Council that it was an essential part of their culture to collect on outstanding blood debts. They were given a 400-year extension.”

Castiel huffed, and Nick hid a smile. Despite his annoyance at being a chaperone, it was a bit refreshing to meet nobility that were so personally affronted at the existence of injustice. His amusement fled, however, when Castiel began walking towards the tent.

“Your Grace, it would not be proper—“

“It is not proper! But since it is being done, I want to see it,” Castiel snapped. “The whole point of this trip is to increase my knowledge of the galaxy. I would consider this an essential part.” He stomped off.

Nick groaned aloud and forced himself to catch up.

***

The inside of the tent was exactly what Nick knew it would be like, a seedy mix of the ornate and the depraved. The tent was divided by into small rooms by large folding screens. There was a plush carpet under their feet, scantily clad women walked around dispensing intoxicating drinks, and on display were several barely covered humanoids, all available for sale. The faint scent of incense floated through the air, probably designed to mask the sweat and fear emanating from the enslaved. 

Nick caught up with Castiel and tried again. “Your Grace, it would truly not be fitting for a man of your stature—“ He could just see the headlines back on Enoch if a member of the royal family were caught in a slave market. And all under his watch.

Castiel was beyond hearing. He stood frozen near the entrance, his eyes were comically wide. “My God…” he whispered.

Nick yanked up the hood on the cloak Castiel was wearing. “At least keep yourself covered,” he pleaded.

Castiel made no sign that he had heard him, just began to drift around the tent. Nick sighed and followed him. Castiel wandered from room to room, his expression one of abject horror. Nick could hardly blame him. In one room they found several naked and clearly drugged women being displayed for a female consumer. As they were bent over before her, the customer reclined in a chair, stating, “My son needs a new playmate. No, no brunettes, perhaps a blond?”

As they neared the end, Nick tried once again. “Your Grace, now that you have seen—“

Once again, he got no further. Upon entering the last room, Castiel gasped loudly and rushed to where a young man was displayed. “Captain,” he said breathlessly. “I know this man.”

“You mean he’s from Enoch?” Nick was stunned. Enochians should not have any blood debts with the Grimwelds. “The placard says he is from a planet called Earth. Not even in this galaxy.”

“Not from Enoch,” Castiel said, “but I have dreamed about him since I was a child. This man…he is my destiny.”

Nick just resisted burying his head in his hands. This just got worse and worse. The Royal Family and their mysticism…

“I cannot leave him here, Captain.” Castiel’s voice grew louder. “We must rescue him.” 

Nick saw a court-martial in his future. 

“Be quiet” he ordered, his tone one he would have never dared use before. But desperate times, and all that. “You cannot make a scene here. The Grimwelds would not have brought this man here had they not a legal right. And you cannot buy him—Ah!” he snapped when Castiel opened his mouth. “If you are determined to save this man, I will buy him and deliver him to you on the ship, but only if you go straight back there now. Don’t speak to anyone, don’t stop anywhere. Do you understand?”

Castiel nodded mutely. He turned and headed out of the tent. Nick followed until he saw Castiel disappear into the bright sunlight outside, then turned back. He mentally ran through his options. He could tell the prince that the man had already been purchased and was no longer for sale, or he could say there was some apparent disease – no, he dismissed these thoughts. Castiel would not be satisfied by them. He was going to have to bring this man back with him.

Buying slaves from the Grimwelds was not illegal in Enoch, but it was frowned upon. It would greatly hinder his career if it became known he procured a slave for a member of the royal family. But he doubted Castiel would say anything.

He walked back to the display Castiel had been transfixed by. According to the signage, it was a young male, tall, with brown hair and green eyes. This was hardly apparent, though. The man was suspended by his wrists, secured by a chain to one of the crossbeams. He was slumped, his knees bent. His eyes were only half open, his gaze was unfocused. 

Nick stood in front of the display and waited for a Grimweld to approach him. He managed to keep his skin from crawling at the sight of their grayish skin and hollow, sunken eyes. He hated doing business with these flesh-traders. He consoled himself that Castiel would have paid their full asking price without question, while he knew how it could be negotiated.

“Ah, Sir,” the Grimweld purred. “What can I help you with, Captain?”

It didn’t surprise him that the Grimweld had read the insignia on his collar. “Well,” he said, making a show of looking around him, “can I trust this transaction can be kept discreet?”

“Of course, Captain,” the Grimweld said, all supplication. “We pride ourselves on that. Who has captured your interest?”

“This one there,” Nick nodded towards the man. Then, unable to resist himself, he added, “What did he do to capture your interest?”

“Ah, Captain, it was an old debt, I’m afraid. His grandfather, I believe. Such a shame the elder generations don’t consider their descendants.”

“Yes, a shame,” Nick bit off. “I can’t help but wonder if they were properly informed.”

“Captain, you wound me.” The continued use of his rank was beginning to annoy Nick. “Everyone is properly informed. I fear this young man’s grandfather just didn’t consider the consequences of his actions on this poor soul…or his brother’s.”

“His brother?” Nick raised his eyebrows. “You took two for a single blood debt?” That was unheard of.

“It was a very large debt, Captain,” the Grimweld replied primly. “Besides, they practically insisted on going together.” His yellow eyes lit up. “Perhaps you would like to look over the brother as well?” 

“No, I…” 

But it was too late. The Grimweld was barking orders in his own language. Nick sighed at yet another delay.

“Please, sit and wait. A glass of Ambrosia, perhaps?”

Nick was forced into a seat, a drink poured for him. He set it at his feet. He had no intention of allowing himself to be muddied for the bargaining process. “Look, I’d really just—“

His voice dried up as another man was half-dragged onto the stage in front of him, his steps unsteady and stumbling, as befits the heavily drugged. This man was tall, taller than the other one. Dark shaggy hair fell into his eyes. His muscular body was nearly naked, save for a pair of small black briefs. Nick felt his mouth go dry and his palms start to itch. The man was beyond gorgeous. 

“Very nice as well, no?” a voice hissed in his ear. “Such a lovely pair. I can give you a sweet price for both.”

Nick’s heart jerked and began pounding hard. He wanted… No, he needed… And it had been such a long time since he had indulged himself. But could he? It was wrong. No, it was awful to have his hard earned credits pass into these disgusting hands.

But if he didn’t… This gorgeous young man would just be sold to someone else. Someone who might do unspeakable things to him. Perhaps if it was just for this trip, perhaps then…

He turned and saw the Grimwell looking at him appraisingly. He cleared his throat and prepared for negotiation. “How much for both, then?”

***

Sam Winchester came to life with a groan. His headed pounded. What had he done last night? Nothing to earn this headache, he was sure. He forced his eyes open and was even more confused. He was in a large room, on some kind of low couch. He sat up and the thin blanket that had been spread over him fell to the floor. Where were his clothes? He was shirtless and wearing some kind of loose pants. He looked around the room. Across from him was a large window with a view of—

He jolted to his feet. It was a view of some solar system. Two large planets (or a planet and a moon?) circling some distant sun. He staggered as he crossed the room. 

This had to be some kind of hallucination, or one of Dean’s more masterful pranks, though he doubted that Dean would be quite this creative.

He turned and walked back to the couch. He sank down on it with his head in his hands . What had happened? He was at Stanford. No, he had been at Stanford, almost done with the hellacious first year of law school when Dean had shown up to tell him-- Sam shook away that memory. He and Dean had gone back to Kansas, to the cemetery. Decided to go get majorly drunk. Half-formed memories came rushing back to him, him and Dean in some dive bar, a sallow-skinned man who claimed to know a lot about them, suspicions that their drinks had been drugged, and then...He shook his head. No, that couldn’t have happened.

He remembered Dean telling him to run, to get out of there. And then that weird guy had done something to Dean, and Dean has collapsed. Sam had charged the guy, there was a bright light, and then…nothing.

Sam pressed his hands to his forehead and caught sight of his wrists. He remembered being held up by his hands, locked to the wall. Bruises circled both of them, from the weird cuff like things that had been locked onto them. No, that had to be a nightmare. It had to be.

Suddenly there was a hiss of air and one of the gray walls slid open. A tall, blond man walked in, wearing some kind of uniform that Sam was absolutely not comparing to Star Trek. 

“Sam,” the man smiled. “Glad you’re awake.”

Sam stood, ready to defend himself. “Who are you?” he asked.

“Well, I think that’s a long story. And, I fear, mainly up to you.”

“Where’s my brother?”

“He’s close by, Sam—“

“Where am I?”

The man crossed the room, and Sam immediately clenched his fists.

The man didn’t seem afraid of him at all, but a troubled expression crossed his face at the sight of the bruises on Sam’s wrists. “You have not been treated well, but no one is going to hurt you here.”

“I want to see Dean.”

“Your brother is still recovering from your experiences.”

“I want to see him.”

“Not right yet.”

Sam walked over to the man until they were toe-to-toe, hoping to use the couple of inches he had on the other man to intimidate him. “I want to see my brother!”

The man seemed amused. “Sit down.”

When Sam didn’t move, the man reached and put a hand his shoulder. Sam tried to throw it off. There was a brief tussle, which Sam lost rather spectacularly. He stumbled backwards to the couch, stunned. The man was much stronger than him.

“Now, do you remember what happened?”

Sam hesitated, but the man seemed prepared to wait. “Dean and I were in a bar, and there was some crazy nutjob talking about blood debts, and slavery. I thought he was your garden variety psycho. I was going to call 911 but there was something wrong with my drink and then…” He pinched the bridge of his nose. The rest sounded too crazy to say out loud.

“Then,” the man said blandly, “you were taken to their ship.”

“No,” Sam said firmly. “That’s insane. I’m obviously having some sort of psychotic break. Yes, that makes so much more sense.”

The man’s lip twisted. “You think that’s much more likely.” 

“Yes, of course. Law school, not sleeping enough, then the grief. Obviously getting roofied was the final trigger—“

The man laughed. 

Sam glared at him. 

“I apologize, Sam.” 

Sam sighed. “So who are you, anyway?”

The man smiled. “Apparently I am a figment of your disturbed psyche.” 

Sam stared at him and the man relented. 

“My name is Nick Lucien, and I am the captain of this ship.”

“I’m on a ship?”

“Yes, my ship. The MorningStar. A first class cruiser out of Enoch, in the Theo System. We are currently on month two of an eight month deployment.

“So, how did we get here?”

“You and your brother were purchased from a Grimweld trader at our last port. The Grimwelds are a nasty race, but they have carved out a niche in this galaxy by selling slaves. They claimed to have a blood debt made by your grandfather, and collected you and your brother in payment.” 

Sam stared at him. “And you bought me…So, I’m your slave?”

“Generally, I am not in favor of the practice of slavery. Enochians are supposed to be above all that. I have, however, been far too long without a lover. So I am inclined to offer you that role. It’s up to you.”

Sam choked. “As your lover?”

“Just for the remainder of this voyage. Six months. If you agree to be my submissive, obedient lover, at the end of this voyage, I will give you your freedom.”

“And if I don’t want to do that?”

“Well, I will give you other opportunities to work off your debt to me, of course. Perhaps as a worker in the galley or in the engine room. But Sam, I did pay quite a bit for you. It would take years for you to work it off any other way. And in that case, there would be no opportunities to visit your brother.”

“You own my brother, too?”

“No,” Nick said flatly. “Your brother was bought by a member of Enoch’s royal family. There is nothing I can do for him. But once you have your freedom, you could stay on Enoch and see him whenever you could.”

“You said Enochians looked down on slavery,” Sam said. “And now you say my brother was bought by a member of the royal family?” 

Nick smiled. “Clever one, aren’t you? Your brother will be well taken care of. He will be taken to Enoch. I would wager his freedom will be granted there, and he will be given citizenship. Which brings us back to you and me.” Nick’s eyes swept over Sam’s chest appraisingly and Sam knew he was starting to blush. “If you agree to my proposal, you can go with him once we arrive. Otherwise, you would have to remain on the ship to work off your debt.”

“Um, can I have some time to think about it?”

“Of course.” Nick stood. “Let’s find you a shirt and some shoes. I’ll take you to see your brother.”

Sam jumped up immediately. “You’ll take me to Dean?”

The man walked into another room and returned with a white shirt and what looked like a pair of slippers. Sam quickly put them on. 

Nick waved his hand across a sensor near the door. The door hissed opened and he walked through it, Sam quickly shuffling behind him.

They headed down a long hallway and Nick herded into him a small metal room. “This is a magnetic levitation transport unit.” He pushed a button and the doors slid closed.

Sam stared at the writing on the indicator screen. It seemed to be made up of long flowing slashes interspersed with vertical lines and boxes. “I can read that, but how?” he asked.

Nick smiled. “No doubt you were injected with a nanobot after you were taken. It would have re-carved your neural pathways so you can read, speak and write my language. Didn’t you realize we are speaking in Enochian? You can probably speak a few others as well.”

Sam tried to force words past the horror in his throat, but found he couldn’t. Something had been carving up his brain? What other things about him had been altered? Did he even know how to speak English anymore? The transport unit stopped and the doors opened, and Sam realized where they were.

“Medical Bay?” He read the words above the entrance. His voice rose. “Is Dean sick? Is he alright?”

“He will be.” Nick led the way through two more glass doors. 

Sam didn’t hear anything else. He could see Dean on one of the hospital beds, his eyes closed and his skin pale. Several IVs had been hooked up to him and there was a tray over his torso emitting a strange blue light. Sam hurried to his side and frantically checked him over, but he couldn’t find any wounds or noticeable bruises. 

“Oh, God, Dean…”

“He’s going to be fine, Sam.” Nick was at his shoulder.

“What happened to him?”

“He was beaten very badly, probably at the slave market.”

At this news, Sam collapsed into a chair placed at the bedside.

A man in a white coat joined them. “There was massive damage to the organs. Luckily the drugs they gave him slowed the internal bleeding. Still, it was a near thing—“

“But he’s going to be fine, now. Correct, Doctor?” Nick cut in.

“Yes, good as new. Better, actually. Don’t worry, son.” The doctor patted Sam’s shoulder. “We’re going to keep him asleep for now, to repair the damage and get the drugs out of his system. We’ll make sure everything is patched up.”

Sam couldn’t take his eyes off of his brother. 

“And where is Prince Castiel?” Nick asked.

“I made him go back to his stateroom and get some sleep. Had to threaten him, but eventually he left. I expect him back shortly.”

Nick and the doctor chatted for a few minutes longer, and then Nick tapped Sam on the shoulder. “We should go.”

“I want to stay with him.”

“I am afraid that isn’t possible. But you can come back soon. I promise.”

Sam allowed himself to be pulled to feet and followed Nick out with a backward glance at his brother.

When they were back in Nick’s stateroom, Sam collapsed back on the low couch. Nick poured him a drink. “So, still think you’re having a…a psychotic break?”

Sam sighed. “I guess not.” He stared at the planets.

Nick sat next to him and followed his gaze. “It’s not a window, you know. Just a representation of our current location. Computer up,” he ordered and the screen went blank, then brought up some kind of menu. He crossed the room and pulled out a small tablet. A few finger strokes and a schematic appeared on the screen. 

Sam barely glanced at it, then stared back into his glass.

“When can I see Dean again?”

“Tomorrow, if you agree to my offer. Otherwise, you’ll be put to work. It would be long hours, Sam. I doubt you will have much free time.”

Sam snorted, and downed the rest of the liquid in his glass.

Nick stood. “I have to check on a few things. I’ll be back in…“ he checked his wrist, “…an hour. I expect your answer then.”

And with a final appraising glance at Sam’s body, he turned and left the room.

Sam buried his head in his hands. A psychotic break would be better than this. Slavery? Being forced to submit to a strange man who claimed to have bought him? He glanced at the door, and thought about trying to break it down. But even if he could, where would he go? He was on the man’s ship, in a strange galaxy. And Dean, he couldn’t leave Dean behind. His throat closed at the thought of his brother lying in that hospital bed. 

No, he had no choice at all. 

***

“Captain on the bridge!”

Nick rolled his eyes as everyone snapped to attention. “At ease, ladies and gentlemen.” He turned to his rather over-eager junior officer. “Ensign Uriel, I have told you before you don’t have to announce that every time I come into the room.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Lt. Milton, are we on course?”

“Yes, sir.” Nick’s first officer smiled at him. “We are due to reach the asteroid field in 16 hours.”

“Excellent. Hold your current speed. Ladies and Gentlemen, I don’t need to remind any of you that crossing the Croatoan asteroid field may be the most challenging part of this deployment. I expect each and every one of you to be in top form for the next week and bring your utmost concentration. So everyone better get a good night sleep tonight, because we are not going to be getting much until we are through the field, understood?”

A chorus of “ayes” came from around the bridge.

“Good. Lieutenant, you have the bridge.”

Since he had nearly an hour before to kill before returning to his stateroom, Nick made his way back toward the engine room for an inspection, smiling quietly to himself at what was waiting for him in his stateroom. Sam may have thought he needed time to think things over, but Nick knew that he wouldn’t be kept from his brother’s bedside, so there was really only one logical choice for him to make.

The inspection took far too long for his liking, and he uncovered three violations which then had to be written up. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the paperwork. His thoughts kept drifting back to his room and what was waiting for him there. He had to fight to keep a smile off his face as he sternly cautioned his turbine officers against future violations before he made his escape.

Sam was still sitting on the couch when he got back. He stood as Nick came into the room and Nick took a moment to appreciate how the thin pants clung to every bulge and curve. Smiling, he walked into his bedroom and pulled off his shirt, leaving his thin undershirt on. He walked back into the living area and found Sam still standing in the same spot. He leaned against the threshold, and then they both spoke at the same time.

“Do you have something to tell me, Sam?”

“So I guess an hour for you is about the same as an hour for me—“

Nick smiled as Sam stopped talking. He recognized a delaying tactic when he saw one. But he decided to humor Sam. No point in rushing him.

“What your brain translates as ‘hour’ is probably a rough equivalent of what we have here.”

“So you have hours, days, weeks, months, all that sort of thing?”

“Thereabouts, I am sure. How do you define those things?”

“Well, um, an hour is sixty minutes. A minute is sixty seconds. A second is like one…two…three. You know, like that. A day is twenty-four hours, a week is seven days, and a month is about thirty days.”

Nick thought for a moment. “I suppose it is roughly equivalent. Your system sounds very confusing though. For us, a minute is a hundred seconds. An hour is fifty minutes. A day is ten hours, a week ten days and a month is five weeks.”

Sam nodded earnestly.

“So, Sam, what do you have to tell me?”

Sam colored and cleared his throat. “Well, um, I decided…yeah, I guess that would be alright. Six months…as your…you know, whatever.”

“Lover, Sam. Willing lover.”

“Yes…lover.”

“Even though our months are longer than yours?”

Sam barked out a half laugh. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

Nick smiled. “I suppose you don’t. But, Sam, this won’t be too terrible for you. I am a generous lover, and I’ll take good care of you.”

Sam swallowed. “I just want to be able to see my brother.”

“And you will. He’s getting the best care possible.” Nick got up and poured two glasses of Ambrosia. He handed one to Sam. “I trust you will let me know if this is too strong for you.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem.”

Nick raised his glass and tipped it towards him. “Only the finest for you.”

Sam downed the drink with one swallow.

“All done?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Okay, well, you don’t you get out of those clothes and let me look at you.”

Sam looked shocked. “What?!”

Nick took another slow sip of his drink, then gestured with his hand. “I want you to get out of those clothes and come stand in the middle of the room so I can look at you.” He paused. “All of you.”

Sam swallowed hard. His heart was beating so fast it threatened to jump out of his chest. He wanted to refuse. He wanted to tell this arrogant captain to go to hell. He wanted to run out of the room. But he couldn’t. He had to do this.

Nick leaned back in his chair, his eyebrows raised expectedly. 

Sam forced himself to walk into the center of the room. The alcohol, or whatever it was, helped a bit as he propelled himself forward. He pulled off the shirt and tossed it back on the couch. One push of his shaky hands and the pants were in a puddle by his feet. He stepped out of them, completely naked now, and took a deep breath, forcing himself to stand stock still with his back to the other man.

For a long moment, there was nothing but silence. Then Sam heard the squeak of a chair. He felt more than heard Nick come to stand behind him and slowly begin to walk around him. Sam kept his eyes locked on the far corner of the room.

After what seemed like hours Nick stood in front of him, an implacable expression in his eyes. A hand reached and gently clutched the hair at the back of his head.

“On your knees,” Nick ordered softly.

Sam sank slowly to his knees. Nick reached down and undid the buttons on his trousers. “Let’s see what you make of this…”

Sam noted the tell-tale bulge in Nick’s pants before the other man’s cock sprang free of its restrictions and nearly slapped Sam on the cheek. Sam nodded slowly and forced himself to take a deep breath. He’d done this before, albeit with about six more drinks lubricating him, but he could do it again. He opened his mouth to take in the thick head. He could do this. He lapped his tongue around the head, and then tightened his lips as he slid down the thick shaft. Nick’s musky scent invaded his nostrils and the familiar salty taste burst onto his tongue. Nick moaned above him. 

Sam’s tongue sought out the ridges and veins as he took Nick deeper, swallowed, and then took him as deep as he trusted himself without choking. He hollowed his cheeks, moving and sucking, then moving and releasing. Nick’s hand tightened in his hair and pulled him backwards. Sam released his cock and looked up.

Nick was looking down at him, pupils wide. “You’ve done this before.” It was not a question.

Sam cleared his throat. “I, I experimented in college.”

“Yeah?” The hand is his hair tightened again. “Ever been fucked?”

Sam felt himself blushing. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Uh, just never got that far, I guess.” 

Nick’s lips quirked up. “Well, get back to it.” He punctuated his words another twist of his fingers.

Sam nodded and opened his mouth again. His tongue gave Nick’s cock a long lick, from base to crown. He ran his hands up Nick’s thighs, squeezed them and looked up again. Nick nodded in answer to his tacit question about using his hands.

Sam wrapped one hand around the base of Nick’s cock and his tongue flicked the slit, tasting the salty drops that emerged there. At Nick’s groan he wrapped his lips around him again and slid his mouth slowly down to meet his hand, bringing up his other hand to gently fondle Nick’s balls.

Nick’s hips jerked, pushing his cock further into Sam’s throat. Sam tried to relax, concentrated on keeping his throat open and letting Nick, his owner for the next six months at least, fuck his mouth. Sam closed his eyes. Sure, he had sucked off guys at parties at school, but he had always been in control of those situations. Now, he had no choice. This man could use him as he saw fit, and Sam couldn’t do anything about it. He tried to remind himself that he needed to do this so he could stay close to Dean. That if it hadn’t been this man, it would have been someone else, and at least this way he had the promise of freedom in six months. But it did little to calm the churning in his stomach. 

Soon Nick’s hands were urging him upwards, and Sam allowed himself to be pulled off just in time to have Nick come hard against his neck, his semen dripping down past Sam’s clavicle onto his chest.

“Hell of a mouth on you, boy,” Nick panted. Then there was a hand under his chin, pulling him upwards, and he stumbled to his feet. He was pulled forward and his lips slammed into Nick’s, hard. Sam was taken aback. Somehow he hadn’t pictured kissing as part of this arrangement. Nick hadn’t struck him as someone who liked kissing. Clearly he did, though, as his tongue boldly stroked the inside of Sam’s mouth. Sam squeezed his eyes shut as Nick angled his chin and adjusted their mouths.

The kiss was long, slow and intimate. It struck Sam that he hadn’t kissed anyone like this since his last girlfriend in college. In a way, this felt like more of a violation that the blow job had, but he didn’t pull away. Several moments later, Nick pulled back and smiled at him. “Let’s have a shower, shall we?”

He herded Sam into the bathing chamber, stripping off the rest of his own clothes as they went. Nick closed himself and Sam in what appeared to be a small gray room, with walls that felt like composite stone. Sam stood there, not sure what to expect as Nick crowded into his space and kissed him again. Sam, so distracted by the protracted pushing of their tongues, leapt nearly a foot when suddenly warm water crashed on them from every direction.

Nick laughed and spun Sam around so his back was to Nick’s front. He wrapped his right arm Sam’s torso, resting his palm on his left shoulder, while his other hand drifted lower, to Sam’s cock.

While it took a bit longer than usual, well-practiced twists of Nick’s wrist soon had Sam hard and gasping. Nick ran his teeth along Sam’s ear and whispered, “Delicious, Sam. My God, you are delicious.” A moan broke from Sam’s throat. Nick’s left hand stroked his cock steadily, while his right moved up and down Sam’s body, pausing to grope the tops of his thigh, then moving upwards to pinch his nipples. Sam’s breaths hitched, and his head fell back so that it was resting on Nick’s shoulder.

“That’s it. Just let go. I am going to take care of you, Sam. Don’t doubt it.” The hand moved from his nipple upwards to wrap around his throat, a gentle squeeze before sliding down his body again. Nick sank his teeth into the tender flesh of Sam’s earlobe and Sam lost it, coming all over his stomach and chest. 

Nick chuckled and gentled his strokes, pulling every bit of pleasure out of Sam’s body until he felt weak and boneless. He then propped Sam up with his back against the wall of the shower. Quickly lathering up his hands, he soaped up Sam’s chest and down his legs, then quickly repeating the action on himself. He captured Sam’s lips once again and pulled him close. His hands meandered down Sam’s backside. As they reached the rounded globes of his ass, he squeezed them gently, then his fingers dipped in between them.

“I have plans for your ass.” He punctuated his sentenced with a squeeze. “But not now. Not yet. I am going to be far too busy for the next week, and I want to take my time with you. But after that…“ Another squeeze and he moaned again into Sam’s ear. 

After rinsing them both off, he forced Sam’s arms into a robe and led them both to his bed. Sam couldn’t keep his eyes open as his slumped down on to the soft sheets. Still, his mind was racing. It was too much to take in in a single day. He’d been kidnapped, dragged from his own planet and been sold in slavery. And Dean, Dean had nearly died. The thought of trying to escape flashed through his mind again. But he couldn’t leave Dean behind. And Dean needed the medical care that they were providing here. There was nothing he could do until Dean was better.

Sam rolled over and buried his face in the soft pillow. Even if he and Dean could escape from this ship, where could they go? They had no money, no skills that would be useful here. They didn’t even know where Earth was in relation to where they were now. A wave of despair washed over him, and he felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes. He was startled when he felt a hand on his back.

“Sleep, Sam.” The hand began slowly stroking down his back. Sam forced all the thoughts from his mind. He was asleep in minutes.

***

Nearly a week later, Nick sat in the captain’s chair on the bridge, his focus entirely on the screen in front of him. As the last asteroid when sailing past them off into the reaches of space, there was an audible exhale.

“Congratulations, ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “A textbook crossing.”

Applause sounded throughout the bridge area as all of the officers whooped it up. It had been a rather tense week, but the ship had emerged unscathed, and everyone was relieved.

He glanced at his first officer. “Take us into hyperspace, Lt. Milton.”

“Aye, Sir.”

Nick sank back in his chair. He had barely slept at all in the past week, returning to his stateroom only to shower and change his clothes. But now, four whole uninterrupted days stretched before him. Nick planned to spend all of them in bed.

He left the bridge, leaving instructions not to disturb him except for an emergency. Once outside his stateroom, he paused for a moment to savor the anticipation of what was to come. He had barely seen the younger man in the past week. Now, he was going to have Sam in his bed, where he would finally get to claim the man completely.

The door opened, and Nick walked in – to find the room empty.

Nick fought to contain his annoyance. He should have known. He turned and walked back to the transport, and headed towards the medical bay. As expected, he found Sam at his brother’s bedside. More surprisingly, sitting on the other side of the bed was Prince Castiel, and the two appeared to be in rapt conversation over the unconscious man’s body.

Nick’s annoyance flared. Sam would barely speak to him, except to answer a direct question, and he and Castiel were talking like old friends. He cleared his throat loudly as he stepped into the room. Both of their heads spun towards him. Nick leaned against the doorway and raised his eyebrows.

Sam flushed and looked down when he saw Nick, but Castiel looked annoyed at the interruption. “Captain, the doctor has informed us that when Dean awakes, his condition will be delicate and that we shouldn’t upset him. Sam and I were just discussing what he should be told.”

“So you’re not going to tell him he was sold into slavery in another galaxy?”

“Of course not. Sam thinks it would be best if we tell him he was in an accident and in the hospital. In a way, it is true.”

“Indeed, your Grace. I am afraid I need Sam to come with me now.”

Sam swallowed audibly, but he rose and began to walk out of the room.

Castiel’s expression darkened. He clearly disapproved of Nick’s bargain with Sam. “I’ll make sure you are notified if he wakes up, Sam.”

“Thank you, Castiel.” Sam followed Nick out of the room.

“Castiel?” Nick asked once they were in the transport unit. “The prince gave you leave to call him by his given name?”

“He insisted.” Sam replied.

“Hmph.”

Once back in his stateroom, Nick asked, “Have you eaten?”

Sam was sitting on the couch, staring into space. “Yes, they brought us a tray in the medical bay.”

Nick smiled. “Then why don’t we have another shower?”

Sam stumbled to his feet, and walked to the bathroom like he was headed towards his own execution. Nick carelessly pulled off his uniform while Sam undressed slowly, folding his simple T-shirt and track pants and placing them on the bathroom counter.

Once in the shower, with the water spraying them from all sides, Nick reached for Sam’s cock, stroking him to full hardness. Sam moaned as he leaned into the spray, baring his neck for Nick’s teeth. As Nick licked up the lean neck, his whispered into Sam’s ear, “Just one thing we have to do in here.”

Sam opened his eyes in confusion as Nick pulled away from him, to open a small compartment in the shower and pulled out a small wand, connected to the showers hydraulics. He showed it to Sam, flicking a small switch on it, and a gentle stream of warm water emerged from the end. 

“We need to make sure you are all cleaned out. Now turn around and put your hands on the wall.” He punctuated this request with a hard bite to Sam’s shoulders.

Sam’s eyes widened, seemingly locked on the slender wand. Nick turned him with a gentle shove, and ordered, his voice firm, “Put your hands up on the wall.”

Sam obeyed. With his free hand, Nick gave a long slow stroke down Sam’s back, then spread his cheeks. His thumb swiped several times over Sam’s puckered entrance, before he growled, “Sam, relax, this won’t hurt, I promise.”

He saw Sam’s shoulders shudder before the other man forced himself to relax, stretching out his back in a pleasing bow. Nick brought the tip if of the wand to Sam’s entrance, and slowly pushed it inside just a little. He wrapped his other arm around Sam’s chest and flipped the small switch. Sam jerked, and rose on the balls of his feet as the warm water began to flow.

“That’s it, Sam…easy.” he whispered into Sam’s ear. 

He kept the wand there for another minute before pulling it free and letting the water drain from Sam’s body.

Sam’s breath was coming in short pants. Nick brought the wand to Sam’s entrance again and pushed in, while his other hand slid lower to wrap around his cock. Sam cried out as Nick slowly stroked him, then pulled the wand away once again. The water was still rushing around them, dampening the noises they made. 

“One more time, Sam… You take it so nice.” He pushed the wand into Sam once again, and quickened the pace of his strokes.

“Fuck, unh, that feels so…unh.” The words seemed like they were torn from Sam’s throat.

Nick pulled the wand away and flicked it off. He then propped Sam up against the wall of the shower and sank to his knees in front of him. He slowly began kissing Sam’s cock, up one side and then down the other, enjoying Sam’s breathy gasps before wrapping his lips around the crown, tasting the drops that leaked from the tip. He moaned, taking Sam deep and swallowing around him. Sam’s hips stuttered, and he tried with a hand to Nick’s shoulder to push him off. Nick wouldn’t allow this, though, and in another minute, Sam cried out and shot down his throat.

Nick continued suckling until Sam’s cock became too sensitive, and this time he allowed Sam to push him off. He got to his feet and claimed Sam’s mouth in a hard kiss. He wrapped Sam in a fluffy towel and propelled him towards the bed, before quickly drying himself.

Nick wrapped the towel around his waist and quickly detoured into the living room, where he poured a large glass of Ambrosia and brought in with him into the bedroom. Setting the glass on his nightstand, he climbed into bed and pulled Sam close. They lay together quietly for a long while, not speaking, sharing sips of Ambrosia from the small glass. Sam wasn’t meeting his eyes, but he wasn’t pulling away either. Nick smiled to himself, and claimed Sam’s mouth in a hungry kiss. They had plenty of time for Sam to get over his hesitance. 

Once the glass was empty, Nick set it aside. He turned and whispered into his lover’s ear, “Turn over, Sam. Hands and knees.”

***

Sam tried not to freak out too much as he did what Nick asked. He’d known this moment was coming. As he settled on his hands and knees and felt Nick move behind him, he told himself that Nick wouldn’t deliberately hurt him, though some pain was probably inevitable this first time.

He felt Nick stroke his hands down his lower back to his thighs, and then back up to part his buttocks, and then for a long moment there was nothing, then…

“Oh, God,” the words rushed out of him as the first wet lick. He pitched forward and caught himself on his elbows. Nick held him open and ran his tongue over and over his entrance. Sam squirmed, unable to help himself, and Nick tightened his grip in response, spearing him open with his tongue.

“Fuck….Unhhh, Fuck.”

Nick pulled up. “Holy hell, Sam. You are delicious” Then he was licking again, seeming to light fire to all of Sam’s nerve endings. Sweat broke out over Sam’s entire body, and he couldn’t stop himself from pushing back onto Nick’s searching tongue.

Then Nick’s mouth pulled away and Sam felt a finger press into his throbbing opening. He moaned again, even louder this time. Then Nick’s tongue slid in next to his finger. Sam felt his eyes roll back in his head. His head hit the mattress as he rocked back on Nick’s finger, aware of how he must look, his ass in the air, rocking back and forth on another man’s finger, driven to near madness by his tongue.

Just when it was getting to be too much, Nick pulled back. Sam heard a fumbling at the bedside table, and Nick’s voice suddenly in his ear. “Such a sweet ass. Thinking about it has been driving me crazy all week.”

Then the finger was back, this time coated with a slippery liquid. It pushed in easily, and Sam groaned again. The contrast between the cold liquid and Nick’s warm finger made him shiver. Nick pulled his finger out and pumped it back in, a steady rhythm. Slowly, Sam began to relax. Nick’s hand rubbed up and down his lower back.

Then Nick pushed another finger in. Sam jumped. It burned, but Nick didn’t slow down the rhythm, just pumped them both in and out, and then with a flick of his wrist, he rubbed up against something deep inside Sam that made him see stars in front of his eyes. An inhuman sound broke from his throat and he arched his back.

Nick pulled his fingers out and Sam pushed back, chasing the sensation on that special spot inside him. Nick chuckled and pushed them back in. Every time he hit that spot inside Sam, it felt better and better, until Sam’s throat was starting to hurt from the groans that he couldn’t contain. 

Nick pushed in a third finger and Sam cried out. It was too much. He couldn’t take it. He was about to beg Nick to stop when he felt a hot mouth open on his shoulder, then teeth pulling on his skin. It centered him. He took a few deep breaths and the burn in his ass lessened.

“You ready, baby?”

Sam couldn’t say the words, but he nodded.

“Okay, roll over.”

The words didn’t make sense, “Wha…what?”

Nick gave his hip a gentle shove. “On your back, Sam. I want to see your face when I fuck you.”

Sam whimpered. He wasn’t sure he could stand to do this with Nick’s eyes on his face. He didn’t want to be that vulnerable to this other man. But he allowed himself to be shoved onto his back. Nick grabbed a pillow. “Lift up.”

Sam raised his hips and Nick placed the pillow underneath him. He leaned down between Sam’s legs and placed a gentle kiss on his mouth. “Sam, I don’t want you to be worried. I’ll make it good for you.” Sam felt the heat rise in his face. Nick’s tone was warm, coaxing, like he was some trembling virgin on prom night

Sam steeled himself and pulled back. He very deliberately opened his legs. Nick smiled at him, then propped Sam’s left foot up on his shoulder. Sam tried to keep his breaths even, fought the urge to flinch. Nick guided his cock to Sam’s opening and pushed in, further and further, and oh, God, it hurt. It felt like he was being split in two.

“Oh, baby. God, Sam, so hot.”

Finally he felt Nick’s balls on the skin of his ass, Nick’s hands hard on his hips. Sam bit his lip, his hands fisting in the sheets. There was sweat dripping all over his body. How long could he stand this?

Nick slowly pulled back, and eased his way back in. A few more movements like that, and Sam felt something inside him relax. A shuddery exhale later, Nick pushed back inside and that feeling was back, the one he had felt when Nick’s fingers were inside him. Sam’s hips jerked, his toes curled, and a moan broke from his lips.

“Oh, fuck…”

“Yeah, baby…Feel so fucking good.” Nick’s hips sped up, pumping into Sam’s body.

Sam rocked against Nick, and Nick reached out and grabbed one of Sam’s hands, and pushed it to his cock. “Touch yourself, Sam. Let me see it.”

“Unghh.” Sam’s hand stroked his cock. 

“So hot, Sam. So fucking perfect.”

They continued like that for countless moments, the pleasure building slowly between them. Their eyes met as they rocked back and forth. And then it was too much. Sam felt the pleasure rocket up from his toes all the way to the roots of his hair. It whited out his vision, and he felt his cock surge and surge as his come splattered out all over his stomach and chest.

When he could open his eyes again, Nick was still pumping into him, his eyes wild. As their eyes met, Nick stopped, stuttered, and then with a primal groan, came inside of Sam, sinking down, resting his forehead against Sam’s. There was no sound but their heaving breaths.

Sam was unable to contain his wince as Nick pulled out of him. Then Nick collapsed on top of him, rolling them both over the sheets with a chuckle

“Fuck, Sam,” he panted. “Holy fuck.”

Sam couldn’t move. He could only stare at the ceiling and try to get his breathing back under control. After a few moments, he felt Nick get up and heard his footsteps padding towards the bathroom. He came back a moment later, and with a damp cloth, slowly cleaned up the mess on Sam’s stomach. Sam squeezed his eyes shut. In a way, he thought, it would be easier if Nick was a complete ass to him. It would be easier to shut himself off to all of it without these small moments of tenderness. It would make it easier to convince himself he was just a convenient body to fuck. 

Nick tossed the washcloth on the floor and flopped back down beside him. His breaths evened out, and a quick glance in his direction convinced Sam the other man was asleep. 

He stared at the ceiling for a long time.

 

***

Nick’s comm link was beeping, pulling him out of the most restful sleep he’d had in weeks. Nick reached out and pulled the receiver to his ear.

“What?” he growled.

“Sorry to disturb you, sir,” replied a voice that didn’t sound nearly sorry enough, “But I was told to inform you the patient in the med bay has regained consciousness.

Nick sighed, “Okay.”

Dropping the receiver back onto the nightstand, he rolled over and shook his bedmate.

“Sam, you need to get dressed.”

Sam snapped to full consciousness immediately. “What is it?”

“Your brother is awake.”


	2. Chapter 2

Dean Winchester was in hell. He was being held up by his hands, roasting in what must be an oven. Pain seemed to be swirling around his body, invading each of his pores, poisoning his blood. He forced his eyes open and caught a flash of other people being suspended like him in a dark room. How did he get here? Where was Sam? Sam had been with him. The air around him was hot and sticky, and when he opened his mouth he couldn’t draw enough breath to scream. 

Dean came awake gasping for breath. At least this time he could draw in a full lungful of air. He forced his eyes open and concentrated on the white wall opposite him. “Help,” he croaked out. “Somebody help me…Is there anybody there?”

Dean discovered his hands were restrained. Panic spiked through him, and he began frantically trying to get loose. There were tubes in his arms. What were they doing to him?

A man in a white coat came bustling in. “Mr. Winchester! You’re awake.”

“Get the hell away from me!” Dean couldn’t get his hands free. They were taped to the bars on the side of his bed. His skin was pinched and it felt like a razor blade against his skin.

“Mr. Winchester, please calm yourself. No one is trying to hurt you. You are in a hospital.”

Dean wouldn’t be calmed though. He kicked out with his feet and tried to push himself up. At that point his body gave out on him and he collapsed back on to the bed, panting.

“Mr. Winchester, please relax. We are calling for your brother right now.” The guy was huge, with a full beard halfway down his broad chest. One of his big hands pressed down on Dean’s shoulder and pinned him to the bed.

Dean summoned the energy to raise his head. “Sam…Sam’s here? He’s okay?”

“He should be here shortly.”

Dean was placated by this promise, and he allowed his head to sink back on his pillow. Sammy must be close by, then. He slowly took in his surroundings. Something had happened to him. A fight? The last thing he could remember was being in that dive bar with Sam after they had left the cemetery. Dean shook away the memory. It wasn’t worth thinking about now. He rested back on the pillows to wait for Sam.

He fell into a light doze, only to jolt awake again as the door opened. The sight of Sam walking into the room made something tight inside Dean unclench. Sammy was here. He was fine.

“Dean!”

“Sammy—“ Dean managed to force the words out of his dry throat. He drank in the sight of his brother. Sam was clearly fine. He looked healthy and strong. “Sammy, what happened?”

Sam collapsed into the chair besides Dean’s bed. He reached out to cover one of Dean’s hands with his own. “How are you feeling?”

Dean could have laughed. “I feel like baked shit. Like I got run over by an 18-wheeler. My hands are taped down, and,” he shifted and winced when his suspicion was confirmed, “there’s a friggin’ tube in my dick! What the hell happened? And why am I tied to this bed?” 

Sam looked at their hands. “They had to restrain you because you started digging at your IV. Here, I can take it off.” He bent his head and began picking at the tape. “What do you remember?”

Dean sighed. “We were in the bar. And there was that creepy guy who said he knew our grandfather. But that’s really it.”

He lifted his eyes and found Sam staring at him. Before he could ask, Sam quickly lowered his gaze and began to apply himself to pulling the tape off Dean’s fingers. Without looking up, he said, “We left, or we tried to. We got jumped outside the bar. I’m not sure who they were or what they wanted, but they got you pretty bad. You’ve been in a coma for almost two weeks.”

Dean tried to process this. Sam managed to get one hand free and walked around the bed to start on the other. 

“Did the cops come? Did these douches get arrested?”

Sam scoffed. “The cops were no help.”

“So, I’m in the hospital in Lawrence?”

“No.” Sam hesitated. “The hospital in Lawrence didn’t have the technology to treat you. You were moved to a private facility.”

“Jesus, how much is this going to cost? Why did you give them my real name?” 

Sam laughed. “Dean, this is not the time to be worrying about money.” 

Both of Dean’s hands were now free and he flexed them gratefully. He was starting to feel exhausted again. His eyelids drifted downward, and it was a constant fight to keep them up. He heard Sam say, “You should get some more rest. I’ll be back when you wake up again.”

Dean tried to answer, but the exhaustion overtook him.

***

The next time he woke, Sam was sleeping slumped in the chair by his bed.

Dean had to clear his throat a few times before he could get a word out. “Sam,” he wheezed.

“Dean.” Sam jolted into life. He winced and rolled his neck before turning and looking over his brother. “Hey…Do you want some water?”

At Dean’s nod, Sam held up a glass with a straw and Dean took a few small sips. He was dismayed at how much that small action exhausted him.

“They say you are doing great. Are you feeling any better?”

Dean barely had the energy to nod in response, but he forced himself, for Sam. “Sure, feel great.”

“Okay, well, they said you are going to be really tired for a while, but not to worry. It is just your body recovering.”

“Sure, Sammy, feel better already.” He was asleep before he could hear Sam’s response.

 

***

Dean wasn’t sure how much time passed, but the next few times he woke, it followed a similar pattern. He would jerk awake, chased by nightmares, and find himself alone in his room. He would call until a nurse would come in with a cup of water and tell him his brother should be there shortly.

This time was no different. Dean sipped his water and waited for Sam, glancing around this room. The monitors around him were all blank, like their displays had been switched off. There was no television or artwork on the walls, it was strange. Dean settled back onto the bed and closed his eyes.

He heard the door to the room open and close and footsteps approaching the bed. Without opening his eyes, Dean said, “Hey, Sammy, any word on when they are going to spring me?

There was no response.

He opened his eyes. 

The man who had come into the room was not Sam. He was slim with dark hair and bright blue eyes. He was standing very close to the bed.

Dean bristled slightly at this stranger coming so close into his space. The man was staring too. It was making him feel uncomfortable.

As the man sat down in Sam’s chair, Dean began, “Look, buddy, I don’t know who you think you are—“

“Dean.” Sam walked into the room. “How are you feeling?” He nodded at the stranger. “Hi, Castiel.”

“Hello, Sam,” the stranger replied. “I was just going to check on Dean, but now that he is awake, I will fetch the doctor. I will be right back.” He got up and left the room.

Dean watched him go, then swung his gaze towards Sam. “Have you asked them when they are going to spring me yet?”

Sam snorted. “Dean, we’ve been over this. It might be better if you could get out of bed by yourself before you start talking about leaving.”

“Come on.” Dean looked around pointedly. “This place has got has got to be costing a fortune.”

“Dean should not be worried about the cost.” This from the dark haired man, who had returned to the room with a man Dean recognized as the doctor. 

Dean was about to ask what business was it of his anyway, but the doctor began his usual poking and prodding. Dean had to answer all of his questions about what hurt and where, and Sam and the stranger had a whispered conversation across the room that Dean couldn’t hear. Finally the doctor finished his exam and left the room to get a syringe to draw more blood.

“Are you talking about me?” Dean asked sullenly.

Sam glanced at the man, and then rolled his eyes at Dean. “Of course we are. This is Castiel. He…he works for the hospital and he’s going to be your physical therapist. Once you get your strength back, of course.”

Castiel (What kind of a weird name was that, anyway?) nodded, looking satisfied.

“I don’t need a physical therapist!” Dean protested. 

“You went through a very severe trauma, Dean.” Castiel stated calmly. “It is going to take you some time to recover.”

Dean slumped back into his bed. He was exhausted again.

***

Dean was not sure how much time passed. There was no window in his room, so the days flew by in a strange pattern of sleeping and waking. He was slowly getting his stamina back, which was heartening. But he was still plagued by nightmares. Dreams of freaky men with yellowed eyes and too long fingers, or dreams where he was hung in an oven like a slab of meat. 

Dean jolted awake. 

Castiel was sitting calmly next to his bed, some kind of tablet on his lap. “Dean, are you alright?”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Dean felt warmth in his cheeks at the thought of this man having seen him so vulnerable. Dean wondered if he had been muttering in his sleep.

“You have been having nightmares, so I thought I would sit with you for a while. I am…on call tonight.” Castiel seemed to hesitate over the words.

“So you were just sitting here watching me sleep? That’s pretty creepy, dude.”

“I was not watching you sleep. I just happened to be sitting in the room where you were sleeping.“

“Whatever.” Dean shifted uncomfortably in the bed.

“Would you like to talk about it?”

“What? You being a creeper?”

Cas looked over the tablet at him. “About your nightmares.”

No, he didn’t. Dean pressed his lips closed.

Castiel quietly went back to his reading. Dean lay back in the bed and tried to fall back asleep. Sleep wouldn’t come though, and he couldn’t force his mind away from the man at the side of the bed. Twenty minutes later, he gave up. Sighing, he glanced back over at the man.

“So what are you reading over there? My chart, trying to come up with a new way to torture me?”

Castiel shot him a sideways glance. A smile crept into the corner of his mouth. “Do you think I need this much time to come up with that?”

Dean snorted, but didn’t answer.

Castiel went on, “No, I am actually reading a collection of poetry.”

“Poetry? I bet it’s that weird stuff that doesn’t even rhyme.”

Castiel gave him a full-fledged smile this time. “Some of it rhymes.”

The night ended with Castiel reading Dean some of the poetry. It was a late night, and when Dean finally fell back asleep, he didn’t dream at all. 

***  
Castiel generally considered himself to be a patient man. He had never had Michael’s drive, or Gabriel’s creativity, but both his brothers were impulsive and impatient. Despite his younger age, he found that he could always outwait and outwit them in their childhood games. However, his old strength was deserting him. He was growing more and more frustrated at having to hide the truth from Dean.

Dean was growing stronger every day, and yet, Sam kept coming up with new reasons not to tell him the truth.

“I guess I am just worried,” Sam confided to him. They were sitting in the ship’s galley. “He’s not going to be happy. His first instinct is going to be to run away, to get the hell out of here.”

“It might be his first instinct, Sam, but Dean is my soul mate. Eventually he must see that. I am prepared to give you and your brother everything you will need to make a new life on Enoch.”

Sam’s hands tightened around his mug of tea. “I hope you are right, Castiel. But he is stubborn, and he’s going to be angry. At both of us.”

Castiel nodded. “I understand that he will be angry at me. But I believe he will forgive me once he realizes our connection. But how will he be angry at you? Surely he will see you are as much a victim as he is.”

Sam laughed. “Believe me, he’ll find a way.” He glanced around and then lowered his voice. “He’s not going to be happy about the…arrangement I have with our Captain.”

Castiel’s mouth tightened. He was also not happy with that arrangement. Had he known in that slave market that Dean had a brother, he would have insisted on purchasing Sam as well. 

“Sam, I can insist that Captain Lucien terminate his agreement with you—“

“No,” Sam interrupted. “He offered me a deal, and I took it. I’ll be a free man once we reach Enoch, and that’s all I care about.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Sam sat back in his chair. He shook his head. “Besides, he’s not so bad.”

Castiel was doubtful. “Well, if you ever need me to speak to him—“

“I’ll let you know. Don’t worry.”

Castiel finished his tea and stood up. “Well, I need to go meet with Dean’s actual physical therapist before I go pretend to be his physical therapist.”

Sam laughed. ‘Hey, I talked to Dr. Corek. She said you are doing a great job. She bets you could give her a run for her money.“

“Well, Dr. Singer says I am being too easy on him. I apparently need to, quote, be more of a hard ass, unquote.”

“Well, you better get to that.”

***

“Am I done yet?” Dean complained. His legs were burning, he arms ached, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to speak evenly more much longer. He released one of the hand poles and wiped the sweat off his forehead. 

Castiel checked his watch. “Five more minutes.”

They were in the small gym in the hospital’s physical therapy center. They were surrounded by large glass windows which showed the hospital’s gray hallways, but so far, Dean had not seen a single other person wander down the hallways. It was like the place was deserted. He sighed and continued trudging on the treadmill. It was set at a ridiculously slow pace, but he got exhausted so quickly now.

Castiel smiled at him sympathetically. “You need to be patient with yourself, Dean. It is going to take you some time to recover.”

“This is bullshit. I’ve been stuck in this hospital for over two weeks. I haven’t even seen the sun. Can’t we go on a field trip or something? There’s got to be a Dairy Queen around here…”

“Dairy Queen?” Cas looked bewildered. “I am not familiar with that.”

Dean snorted. “How the hell do you end up in Kansas and not know where the closest Dairy Queen is?

Cas was saved from answering by Sam coming into the room. 

“Hey, Sam, I’m trying to get Cas to smuggle in some contraband for me, but he claims not to know where there’s a Dairy Queen around here.”

“There are definitely no Dairy Queens around here,” Sam stated flatly. “But I bet I could bring you a milkshake tonight, if you want one.”

“Sam will bring you a milkshake tonight,” Cas cut in, “if you give me another 10 minutes.”

They were interrupted by a knock at one of the large windows. It was a tall, blond man dressed in some kind of coverall. 

“I got to go,” Sam said. He jumped up and headed for the door. “I’ll see you later tonight, Dean.”

As he hurried out, Dean turned to Cas. “Who was that guy?” 

Cas was focused on the treadmill’s controls. “I think he’s one of the administrators.” 

“What did he want with Sam?”

“I have no idea. Maybe visiting hours are over for the morning?”

Dean thought for a moment. “Could this be about my bill? Because I don’t want Sam worrying about that. I can--”

“Cas shook his head. “It wouldn’t be about your bill, Dean. That’s all handled. Let’s speed this up for your last five minutes, alright?”

“Sadist,” Dean grumbled. He would have asked more questions, but he could no longer talk and walk at the same time.

***

Later that night, Sam brought Dean his milkshake. It didn’t taste quite right, but Dean wasn’t complaining. As he was sucking it down, he looked over his brother. Sam was dressed in a pair of track pants and a tee shirt that was a few shades too tight.

Dean slurped the last of the shake through his straw. “Your clothes shrink in the wash?

“What?”

“Your shirt.” Dean gestured with his empty cup. “It’s a little tight. You gaining weight, or trying to impress the nurses?” Dean raised his eyebrows. “You talk one of them into hitting the clubs after she gets off?”

“Not a lot of clubs around here.” Sam tugged at the neck of his shirt uncomfortably. “Maybe Cas should start working with me, too.”

Dean laughed, but sobered when he thought about Sam’s words. “Sammy, you know, you don’t need to stay here.”

Sam laughed. “Where would I go?”

“You need to get back to Stanford, get on with your life. I’ll be fine here.”

“Dean, I am not leaving you here. Don’t worry about law school. I think I am going to quit anyway. Maybe Dad was right, it just wasn’t me.”

Dean sighed. “Sam, no. Dad’s not here anymore. You don’t have to think about him.”

Sam shook his head. “Well, maybe I will go back, but there is no point in doing it now. Classes won’t start for another month.”

“Even so, I am sure you have better things to do than sit around here and drink bad coffee.”

Sam smiled. “You’re my brother. I’m not going anywhere without you.”

***

A couple more weeks passed. Dean was growing stronger, getting healthier. He still wasn’t allowed outside. Something about the ultraviolet radiation they used to treat him making his skin too sensitive for sunlight.

His nightmares didn’t lessen, though. He was still jerking awake several times a night. 

***

“What’s the matter, Cas?”

Cas looked up from the board. They were playing their nightly game of chess, though it was some fancy type of chess, with extra figures and a weird two level board. Cas had been teaching him for the past week, and they had developed a nightly ritual. Dean had been recounting to him some of his adventures with Sam when they were growing up in Kansas.

“You’ve been distracted all night.”

Cas smiled ruefully. “Oh, it’s nothing really. I just got some strange news from home.”

Dean’s interest was piqued. This was the first time Cas had mentioned his family. “Something wrong?”

“No, not wrong really…Just surprising.”

Dean pushed one of his pawns forward. “Do you want to talk about it? If you want, I mean. I don’t wanna pry—“

Cas smiled warmly at him. “You wouldn’t be prying. It’s just a bit strange. My brother is getting married.”

“Congratulations? That’s usually good news right?”

“I guess. My brother Michael is the oldest. For years, it was assumed that he would marry the daughter of a very good family friend. They practically grew up together. Nothing official, but there was a general expectation. But it appears that he had fallen in love with someone else.”

Dean nodded. “Okay.”

“So, my father had decided that my other brother, Gabriel, should be the one to marry his friend’s daughter.”

“Whoa, that’s kind of weird.”

“Yes.” Cas dropped his gaze back to the board. “My family is unusual. And a bit old-fashioned.”

“And Gabriel’s going to do it?”

“That’s what really surprises me about it. Gabriel has always been the rebel in our family. He would normally be the first one to tell my father to, ah, ‘go to hell,’ as you would put it. But apparently he agreed. That’s what is worrying me about it.”

“Maybe he really liked this girl all along.”

Cas shook his head, “I really don’t think so, but I suppose it’s possible.”

Something else had occurred to Dean, “So, does everyone in your family have arranged marriages?”

Cas shook his head. “No. They wouldn’t have arranged anything for Gabriel if Michael had married Lilith as planned. They do believe in people marrying for love, generally. In this case, though, since the marriage was so long expected, they think it would be humiliating for Lilith to be seen to be cast aside.” 

“Would they expect you to marry her if Gabriel refused?”

Cas laughed. “No. They would never expect me to marry a woman.”

Huh. That was unexpected. Not that Dean hadn’t suspected it. Cas had told him some stories about him and his “old friend” Balthazar which had made Dean think he was more than a friend. “So, your family, they’re okay with that?”

“Of course.” Cas looked puzzled, “Why wouldn’t they be?”

That was kind of strange. Normally any family that arranges the kids’ marriages wouldn’t be cool with a gay son, but then again, Cas was a strange kind of guy. “Well, it’s good to know they’re not planning your marriage for you, too.”

He was distracted by the sight of Sam through the window in the passageway. Sam was talking to that tall, blonde guy. Cas had said he was a hospital administrator. Dean had seen them together a few times now. Dean’s eyes narrowed. This guy was all up in Sam’s space, with one hand wrapped around Sam’s elbow. Dean couldn’t tell what they were talking about, but the guy had this weird smirk on his face, and Sam kept looking down, like he was embarrassed about something. 

Dean quietly seethed. It was clear that there was something weird going on. There was always this weird vibe between the two of them, and Sam wouldn’t answer any of Dean’s questions about him. He watched the creep’s hand slowly stroke up and down the back of Sam’s arm. Why wasn’t Sam telling him to back off?

He had wondered if the guy was taking advantage of Sam. Threatening to kick Dean out of the hospital if Sam didn’t…whatever for him. His brother was a big, strong guy, but Dean knew family was his weakness, no matter how much Sam had tried to deny it in the past. And Dean also knew the look in that guy’s eyes.

“Dean?”

Dean tilted his head towards Sam. “What’s going on there?”

Cas’s face went carefully blank. “I am not sure what you mean.”

“Come on, Cas. Don’t lie to me. Is that guy…” Dean lowered his voice even though there was no one else in the room. “Is he, I don’t know, would he take advantage of Sam?”

Cas’s face became even more closed off.

Dean went on, “I mean, I know I must be racking up a huge bill, and if that guy is trying to—“

“Dean,” Cas interrupted. “I can promise you, whatever is going on between Sam and…Nick, it has nothing to do with your bill.”

***

_The moon was large and full as it rose over the ocean. Waves crashed noisily on the beach. Dean let the water swarm around his ankles as he strolled down the beach. It felt so good to be outside and feel the warm wind buffet his naked body._

_He caught the light from the fire and hurried the rest of the way. His companion was still asleep, curled up in the blankets they had brought. Dean smiled, warmth washing over him at the sight. He threw another piece of driftwood onto the fire._

_Just then, fireworks began erupting from the other end of the beach. Dean settled down and curled his body around the other man’s smaller frame. “Hey,” he whispered. “You’re missing the show.” The other man shuddered and rolled on to his back. His blue eyes opened, and he smiled._

Dean jolted awake. He was in his room, in the hospital. For a strange moment, everything felt…wrong. He shouldn’t be here, he should be with Cas. Part of him felt like calling out for Cas, but it was the middle of the night. Of course Cas was probably at his home in bed. Dean pressed his palms over his eyes. He shouldn’t be… wanting this other man so much. They had only known each other for a few weeks. He was going crazy.

After a few deep breaths, he groaned to himself. Well, he had graduated from nightmares about being tortured and strung up to erotic dreams about his physical therapist. He needed a drink. He needed ten of them. He pushed himself out of bed. He’d settle, though, for some fresh air.

He ducked out of his room and padded down the hallway. Ever since Cas had mentioned his family, told Dean how he was gay, with no shame or hesitation, Dean hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. He had always had a hard time admitting his attraction to other men. He walked down past the small gym to the end of the hallway, stopping at the double door at the end. It struck him that this was the farthest he had been from his room in all the time he had been in the hospital. He still hadn’t seen a window or an outside door, or even an exit sign. What a weird place this was.  
The doors wouldn’t open when he pushed on them, and Dean didn’t want to attract the attention of any of the nurses. He was about to give up and head back to his room when the doors slipped open with a hiss and the literal man of his dreams walked through them.

“Dean,” Cas exclaimed. “What are you doing out of bed?”

“Hey, Cas.” Dean tossed out his most winning smile. “Let’s get out of here. I need a change of scenery.”

Cas looked alarmed. “Dean, you need to be back in bed.” He reached out and took Dean’s wrist. It wasn’t the first time Cas had touched him, but there must have been some kind of aftereffect of the dream Dean had just had. Arousal spiked through him. Before he could stop himself, he wrapped a hand around Cas’s neck and dragged him towards him.

Cas seemed startled, but he didn’t resist. As their eyes met, he closed the distance between them and kissed Dean. Dean leaned in, moaning quietly. Cas’s lips were soft, and he smelled crisp and clean, like he had just been out walking in the fresh air. Dean’s hands ran over the other man’s back, pulling his shirt out of his pants to get at skin. The man’s skin was smooth and supple, and Dean wanted to feel it all over his body. 

Cas broke away from the kiss. “Dean, no, we can’t –“

“Come on,” Dean pleaded. “Let’s go find a supply closet or something.” 

“It’s not right.” 

“What? ‘Cause I’m your patient?”

Cas took Dean’s wrist again and began towing him back to his room. “No, it’s not that—“

“’Cause you can transfer me to someone else, right? I don’t want you to get in trouble. But come on, man. You have been driving me crazy. And now with the dreams...”

Cas stopped. “Dreams? You have been having dreams about me?”

“Well, just one, but, yeah.”

“What about?”

“Well, it was just you and me, on a beach. The moon was full and –“

Cas’s eyes shone. “And there were fireworks.” 

“Yeah, how did you—“

Cas’s lips were pressed against his again.

This time, the kiss went on and on. They clung to each in the hallway like they were drowning.

When they broke apart for breath, Cas began pressing small kisses into Dean’s neck.

“Cas,” Dean moaned. “When I woke up, I…called to you, didn’t I? But, not out loud. And you…you heard me. But how?” He turned his head to recapture Cas’s lips. “How are you even here?”

“Dean…don’t—“ Cas tore himself away. “Tomorrow. I promise we’ll explain everything tomorrow.”

“What? Who’s we?”

Cas wrapped his arms around Dean. “Sam and I. We’ve just been waiting until you’re ready, but now—“

“Waiting?” A strange feeling pulsed through Dean’s body. Betrayal. Heat flared into his cheeks and his hands clenched in Cas’s shirt before he pushed him away. “I knew you guys were keeping something from me. What the hell? I thought we were friends!”

“We are, Dean. We are more than friends. You are my destiny.”

Dean sputtered, “Destiny? What the hell are you talking about?”

“I am explaining it all wrong. Tomorrow, Sam and I… we will—“

“No way in hell am I waiting until tomorrow. You call Sam and tell him to get over here right now. I want to hear whatever you have to say to me.”

Cas hesitated, but then nodded. “Okay. Let’s go back to your room and I’ll get Sam.”

Dean allowed himself to be pulled back into his room. Cas left, presumably to go call Sam. Dean paced in his room for a few moments, growing more impatient with each small lap. 

Soon, he had had enough. “Screw this,” he muttered as he slipped out of the doors again. He wasn’t going to wait in his room like a child. He wanted to figure out what was going on with this place. 

He walked in the other direction, past a bunch of empty rooms into another deserted hallway. The walls were all steel gray. After wandering around for a few minutes, he found yet another hallway and a sign reading “Emergency Bay.” Or rather, Dean thought it read “Emergency Bay”, but when he looked at it properly, he saw the letters were just a series of weird slashy lines.

Before Dean could spend too much time pondering that, his attention was caught by something he hadn’t seen in over a month. A window. Dean pressed his face up against the cold glass and saw…nothing but blackness, broken by pinpricks of light.

He reeled back. What the hell? He heard voices calling his name from far away, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer them. At that moment, it all came crashing in on him. He _remembered._

***  
The jukebox was blaring obnoxious pop music while the pool balls on the nearby table rattled. He and Sam were sitting at a high table in the back, silently contemplating their now empty glasses.

The waitress came by and cheerfully chirped, “Two more?” Her nametag read “Cherry :D”. She was cute and perky, and any other day Dean would have been all over her. Not tonight though.

He glanced over at Sam, who hadn’t even looked up at the waitress. His gaze was focused on the candle at the center of the table.

Dean turned back to Cherry, who was waiting expectantly with her big smile. “Uh, yeah,” he said, holding up his rocks glass. “Two more. Doubles.”

“You got it!” She actually winked at him before she walked away. Dean shook his head. Cute, but not too bright. She clearly sucked at reading the mood of her patrons.

Sam hadn’t moved. Dean wondered if he had even heard the conversation. He reached out and touched his brother’s arm. “Sam—“

“I never said I was sorry,” Sam choked out. He took a deep breath. “All those awful things I said before I left last time, and I never told him I was sorry, that I didn’t mean it.”

“He said some pretty awful things to you before you left, too.”

Sam swallowed hard. “It doesn’t matter. I never told him, and…now I never will. I am just going to have to deal with the fact that he died disappointed in me.”

“He was never disappointed in you.” Dean leaned across the table and gripped Sam’s arm. “God, he was proud as hell of you. He loved the fact that you stood up to him all the time.”

“How come he never told me that?”

“He was stubborn. Just like you.” Dean shook his head. “You two were more alike that you ever knew.”

Sam looked up and met his eyes. “I said some pretty awful things to you before I left, too. I’m sorry, Dean. I didn’t mean them.”

Dean sat back. “Yeah, you did.”

“I didn’t—“

“You said I’d never be happy as long as I was under his thumb. I’d never have my own life if all I thought about was disappointing him. I don’t think for myself, just follow orders.” Dean looked away, scanning over the crowd. A face at the bar caught his attention. Dean remembered him from the last time he had been here. A quick fumble in the bathroom, he recalled. The guy gave him a slow smile and raised his bottle. A clear invitation for later. Dean whipped his attention back to Sam. “Maybe you were right.” 

Sam’s eyes had narrowed, but before he could ask, Cherry returned with their whiskey. Dean threw his back, and Sam, after a moment, did the same. 

“Gentlemen, my condolences on your loss.” 

Dean jerked in surprise. A man had silently approached their table and was now standing next to it. The guy had sallow skin and strangely yellow eyes. He looked slightly familiar though. Had he been at the cemetery earlier?

“Thank you,” Sam responded automatically. “Did you know our dad?”

“I am afraid I never had the pleasure,” the man replied silkily. “I had some business dealings with your maternal grandfather.”

Dean’s brow wrinkled. This guy didn’t look old enough to have done business with their grandfather, who had been dead for over 30 years.

“Please allow me to buy you two a drink, as befits an old friend of the family.” The guy waved his arm, and Cherry appeared again with three drinks on her tray. She placed them on the table, winked at Dean again and waltzed off. This time, Dean made a show of watching her ass as she went. When he turned back, Sam had already picked up a glass and was rolling his eyes.

“To family,” the man intoned, raising his glass. Dean raised his glass as well. He did the shot and when he put the glass down, the man had gone.

“That was weird,” Sam said.

“Whatever, dude. Free booze.”

It took about 2 minutes for Dean to realize that something was wrong. The lights suddenly became way too bright and everything went quiet.

“Shit, Gotta get outta here.” The words didn’t sound right, like his tongue was suddenly far too big. He lurched out of the chair and managed to grab hold of Sam’s arm. Together they stumbled outside. The night air was somewhat bracing. They made it about ten feet from the door when strong arms grabbed them.

Dean tried to scream, but couldn’t force any noise out of his throat. He kicked and punched, but couldn’t make any headway against the grip that held him. He was being lifted, carried. He heard voices, some kind of garbled language, and then everything went white.

He came to in a large gray room. Sam was lying beside him, unconscious. Dean forced himself to his knees, then to his feet. It was almost all he could do to stay upright. His stomach lurched as he took unsteady steps towards Sam. His brother’s chest rose and fell regularly, but Dean had no luck waking him up. He tried to take in their surroundings. They seemed to be trapped in a huge metal container. After several minutes, he managed to locate some kind of sliding door in the back of the room.

Forcing it open, he was struck dumb for a moment. In front of him there was a huge screen showing a picture of the earth. It was one of those shots that was taken from space, showing a blue and green globe surrounded by swirling white. Dean was transfixed by the sight. Dimly, in the background, he heard loud screeching noises and then he was tackled from behind. He tried to bring up his hands to ward off the blows coming from multiple directions. Pain exploded through him and everything went black.

***

Dean turned and walked with a preternatural calm back to his room.

Sam was already there. “Dean! What’s going on?” He had on some kind of flimsy over shirt and his hair was wet. 

“What the fuck? Where the hell are we?

“Dean, calm down. I can explain--”

“Don’t tell me to calm down, Sam. I just freaking found out I’m on some freaking plane in outer space. And you have been lying to me for over two weeks.”

“Actually, it’s a ship, not a plane,” a voice from the door cut in.

Dean looked up to see the tall, blond…whatever he was… leaning against the doorway. His hair was wet as well. Dean’s anger flared at he looked from the man’s damp hair back to Sam. He had clearly interrupted something.

“You shut up,” Dean whirled around and pointed his finger. “I don’t know what the hell you are doing with my brother, but it stops now.”

The guy had the nerve to smile at him as he walked into the room. “Oh, you think you are in charge of him, do you?”

Sam held up his hand in a placating gesture towards the guy. “Nick, please, just let me—“

“Does he always treat you like this, Sam?” The blond guy, Nick, raised his eyebrows at Sam

Dean took two steps forward and stood chest to chest with Nick

“Are you trying to intimidate me?” That mocking tone again. “You can barely walk.”

“I could still take you on.”

Nick laughed. “I must admit, you have some brass ones on you. There aren’t many who would challenge me on my own ship.”

“Your ship? That’s it, Sam. We’re leaving.” 

“Dean,” Sam was incredulous. “Where do you think we would go?” 

“I have an airlock I could introduce you to,” the man leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. 

“That’s enough!” Sam snapped. “Nick, don’t threaten him.”

“Yes, that is quite enough of that.” Castiel’s deep voice made Dean start. The other man was now standing in the doorway.

The guy – Nick - seemed more abashed by Sam’s anger than Castiel’s regal tone. “Fine. I don’t have time for this. I trust you all can sort yourselves out.” He strode out of the room.

Sam turned to Castiel. “Could I have a few moments alone with my brother?”

Castiel considered them both for a long moment before he nodded. “I’ll wait outside.”

Dean watched the other man as he left, then turned back to Sam. “Forgetting for a moment that you have been lying to me, what’s the plan?” He was feeling a little winded. He sat down in one of the bedside chairs, and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

“The plan, Dean? Really? The plan?” Sam walked to the doorway and looked down the hallway. Then he turned and began pacing back and forth. He ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, the plan.”

“Dean, the plan is we got kidnapped, taken from Earth, our neural pathways got rewritten so now we speak some strange ass language, oh, and you nearly died. Now we’re slaves. Or more like, I’m a slave, you got bought by some rich prince who thinks you’re his soul mate.” Sam sat down. “We’re majorly screwed here. That’s the plan.”

“What prince? You mean Cas? Cas is some kind of royalty?” 

Sam huffed. “That would be the part that stands out to you.” He reached the end of the room and turned. 

Dean shook his head. “So we just need to figure out a way back home. Steal some tie fighter and fly it back to earth.”

Sam laughed. “Right, you make it sound so easy. First we steal a ship that neither of us knows how to fly, then what? We hopefully find some map of the galaxy that says ‘You are here’ with directions to Earth on the back? Plus…” Another turn, and Sam stood with his back to Dean. 

“Plus what?”

Sam looked up. “Well, they could have kept us in stasis for a while before they brought us here. Hundreds of years could have passed on Earth, but…” He shook his head. “I guess it’s not like either of us had anyone waiting for us back there.”

“Sam, don’t talk like that—“

Sam turned. “I’m just facing facts, Dean. Look, I know this is a lot to take in--”

“Yeah, I’m getting that.”

‘Hey, I had to go through it all too, but with…” Sam seemed to be about to say something more and then thought better of it.

“What? You going to tell me what’s going on with you and Tall, Blonde and Creepy?”

Sam shook his head. “I have it under control.”

“Hate to say it, Sam, but you don’t seem to have anything under control.”

“Control,” Sam sputtered. “You think…You know what, Dean? Screw you.” Sam turned and stalked out of the room. 

“Great,” Dean said to the empty room.

***

Castiel watched Sam angrily march out of the room and head down the hall. He wasn’t sure where the other man was headed, but he looked like he wanted to be left alone. Castiel turned and looked back to the room. Through the doorway he could see Dean sitting in a chair, staring off into the distance.

Castiel sighed. He knew that Dean had been through a massive ordeal and that he needed to be patient, but he was becoming frustrated. The evening had started out with such promise. Dean was sharing the dreams with him, and finally, everything could be out in the open with them.

He walked back into the room. Once Dean saw him he stood up. 

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Dean said immediately.

“You don’t have to talk,” Castiel said calmly. “But I want you to listen to me.” He sat down in the chair beside the bed.

Dean opened his mouth to protest, but Castiel cut him off. “Five minutes. And then I will leave you alone.” He took a deep breath. “I was a child when I began dreaming about you. Short dreams. You were just a young boy playing games, just like I did. Throwing a ball back and forth with a tall man, swimming in a pond, eating candy.” Castiel smiled at the memories. “ I didn’t think anything of it at the time. In a way, Dean, you are one of my oldest friends.

But as I got older, the dreams continued. They changed, became more erotic. That dream you had, about you and I on the beach, I have had it many times. And others. It was how I knew I was interested in men. I thought the dreams were just my subconscious manifesting itself. “

Castiel looked up and met Dean’s eyes. “But then I saw you, in that slave market, and in that moment I knew. We were fated to be together. I had been brought there, on this silly trip that I had to take because it was traditional, it was all so I could meet you, rescue you. I would do anything for you, Dean.”

He fell silent for a moment. Dean still didn’t respond. 

Casitel felt his heart sink. He looked away. “I know you still don’t believe me. I know you have been through an ordeal and need time. But I will prove this to you, Dean. I promise you that.”

With that, he got up and left the room.

***

The next day, or whatever passed for a day on this ship, Dean was moved unwillingly into Prince Castiel’s suite. He was not allowed out of the rooms without supervision, which meant that he was either with Cas or Sam.

After a week, he was still refusing to speak to Cas. The dreams continued unabated though. They had expanded from not the scene on the beach, but to him and Cas lying in bed in a sun-drenched room, him and Cas walking through an ornate garden, eating strange fruit off the trees. 

He spent time with Sam. They ate together at least once a day. Dean was still angry at him, still feeling betrayed at Sam’s deception, but it lessened a bit more every day. When he was alone, he was forced to acknowledge to himself that he was not sure what he would have done had he been in Sam’s place. He would have handled it better, though, he was sure.

He spent most of his time in the stateroom with Castiel. Dean had snuck out a few times, trying to find a way to escape, but the more he investigated, the more he realized there were dismally few options open to him. The only time he was allowed out was on his supervised visits to the gym and to eat with Sam. Cas was also unfailing patient with him. Dean had tried acting out, refusing to eat, breaking dishes, throwing tantrums and generally being unpleasant, but Castiel never lost his temper.

It also grated on Dean that Sam was allowed much greater freedom. He seemed to have free range of the living areas on the ship. Dean now knew that he was living in the captain’s quarters, but Sam refused to talk about his situation other than “I’m fine.”

He finally got Sam to open up about it a few weeks after his revelation. They were eating dinner together in the small cafeteria by the gym. According to Sam, most of the ship’s crew ate in a larger dining room somewhere else.

“So you are living with him.”

Sam shifted uncomfortably. “We have an arrangement.”

“What kind of arrangement?”

Sam rolled his eyes. “What kind do you think?”

Dean has suspected, but still. “So he’s fucking you? And you’re okay with that?”

“It’s just until we get back to Enoch. Then I’m a free man.” 

Dean said nothing. 

“What?”

“I can’t believe you are okay with this.”

Sam snorted. “Please Dean. I’ve done worse things for less reward.”

“And you’re okay with the fact that he’s a guy?”

“I’ve messed around with guys before.”

Dean raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

“At school. Besides,” Sam muttered, “Not like you can talk.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Please, Dean, you are the biggest two beer queer I’ve ever met. I know about all the guys. The fact that you had to hide it, because you were so worried about Dad, and what he might think—“

“Shut up, Sam.” Dean looked away.

“It’s true, I—“ Sam cut off, and when Dean looked up, Sam was staring at him. “Unless, you thought I would have a problem with it too…” Dean didn’t answer, and Sam gasped. “You did. Jesus, Dean. I don’t—“

“Yeah, well I know that now. Dean looked away. “This guy, Nick,” He spat, “He’s treating you right?”

“Great.”

Dean stared at the wall. There was nothing he could do about it at this point, but it still grated to think about what his brother was doing. “Well, okay then, I guess,” he said. He scooped up the last forkful of food from his plate. “Well, see you tomorrow?”

“Um…”

“What?” Dean said around the mouthful of food.

“I, uh…I’m going down to the surface tomorrow.”

Dean swallowed hard. “They’re letting you out?”

Sam rolled his eyes. “I’m going down to the surface with the crew. I’m pretty sure I’ll be highly supervised.”

“Well, you should try to make a break for it.”

“And leave you here?” 

Dean shrugged.

“Would you leave me?”

“We’re not talking about me.”

Sam huffed, “I am not leaving you. Anyway, this colony is on the only habitable portion of a moon. It’s only about a hundred square miles. Nowhere to go. I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason I am allowed down there.”

***

Castiel chose not to go down to the surface the next day. Dean was still pouting about the fact that Sam had left, and managed to slip out of the stateroom while Castiel was in the shower. Castiel was not too worried about him. He settled down at his desk and began reading the latest missives from his brothers.

Dean wandered back into the room a few hours later, and Castiel realized he had misjudged Dean’s ability to get into trouble. He had apparently managed to break into the ship’s stores, and was quite drunk.

“You have been drinking.” It was not a question.

“This Ambrosia crap’s not that bad.”

“Hmmm.” Castiel turned back to his reading.

“So, I think I am drunk enough. You wanna make out?” Dean walked over to the bed and flopped down on it.

“I think not.” Castiel calmly turned a page.

Dean leaned back on his elbows. “Thought we were soul mates.”

Castiel ignored him. Patience, he cautioned himself, patience.

“What’s the matter, Cas? You ignoring me?”

“You are intoxicated and obnoxious.”

“’Intoxicated and obnoxious’,” Dean mimicked.

Castiel dramatically brought up a finger and flipped the page on the tablet.

“Well, if you don’t want to help me out, I’m going to have to take care of myself, I guess.” Dean stood and pulled off his shirt. He tossed it in the direction of the other man and then pulled off his pants as well.

Castiel closed his eyes and counted to 25. When he opened them, he could not help look over. Dean was stretched out naked on his bed, watching him. Once Dean saw that he was looking, he reached down and began to stroke his cock into hardness. 

Castiel huffed and tossed down his tablet.

“Whatsamatter, Cas? Your book not interesting enough?”

Castiel rolled his eyes. He got up and walked over to the bed. He sat down next to Dean. Dean was being obnoxious, but it had been a long time since he had been willing to converse with him. Castiel had missed his friend. He shook his head. “You should show me some respect, instead of teasing me with your ridiculous behavior.”

“Come on. Let’s fuck.” 

“I am not going to make love to you in this state, Dean.”

Dean’s hand sped up over his cock. He moaned loudly.

“You are impossible.” But Castiel couldn’t help reach out and drag his hand across Dean’s chest, feeling the supple muscle there just under his skin. Castiel wanted to taste it. Dean pushed up into the touch and Castiel leaned down and touched his lips to Dean’s. The kiss was sloppy and uncoordinated at first, but Castiel reached down and angled Dean’s head. Dean moaned into the kiss.

There was a loud banging at the door. Both men broke apart with a start. Dean moaned at Castiel to get rid of whoever it was, and the other man walked toward the door.

Dean was startled when he heard Sam’s voice at the door. “Castiel, I need your help!” He bolted to his feet and pulled his pants on. 

He quickly darted into the main room and found Sam clutching a piece of paper.

“Sam,” Castiel said calmly. “What is wrong?”

“Did that asshole do anything to you?” Dean was furious.

“No, No. I’m fine. It was just, at the space port…I saw this flyer. It’s for another slave market. But, Dean, look at the pictures!” Sam threw the flyer at Dean.

“It’s Jo.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many, many apologies for the delay in getting this chapter out! Thank you so much for sticking with me. I promise that the updates will be quicker from here on out!
> 
> Also, there are some guest appearances in this chapter. I don't think they will be any more distracting that your typical OC's ( and no backstory on them is relevant) but if they seem familiar, that's why. =)

Sam stared at himself in the mirror. Of all the crap that had happened to him in the past few months, he had not expected that it would ever come to this.

Thanks to Nick’s contacts, the slave traders that had Jo had been traced to some kind of a nightclub in a nearby spaceport. Prince Castiel’s clout got the ship’s schedule changed, and they were now docked at that very spaceport. Sam and Nick were about to go down to the club to look for Jo. That was all good, but Nick had declared that Sam needed some “more appropriate” clothes to wear when he left the ship.

The steward that had brought the clothes actually winked at him as he dropped them off. The shirt he had been given was tissue thin and had several strange cut outs trailing down the arms. The pants were skin tight and made of some kind of leather-like material. Sam had to admit, though, they were more comfortable than he had expected. Black boots had also been provided. While not his usual style, it wouldn’t be too out of place even on earth. But…  
Sam didn’t want to think about what Dean would say if he saw Sam in them. Thankfully, Dean wasn’t going with them. Castiel wouldn’t let Dean go without him, and Nick had declared there was no way Castiel was going without a full security contingent. After much argument it was agreed that Sam and Nick would investigate the club first. 

He took a deep breath, as he looked at the last item he had been given. A collar. A thick leather band that was supposed to go around his neck. A symbol of slavery. Sam knew that he was technically a slave but everything in him rebelled at the thought of putting it on.

This was for Jo, he told himself firmly. God only knew what horrors she was experiencing. He and Dean had gotten (relatively) lucky in their circumstances; it was unlikely that their childhood friend would be as fortunate.

The ship was docked at the spaceport, but the club where they were going was on the opposite side, at the end of one of the station’s long arms. 

He got quite a few looks and even a couple of whistles as he headed down to meet Nick in the shuttle bay. He forced a smile on his face. Everyone probably thought he was headed for a fun night out. From what he had heard, the spaceport was very popular, and much of the crew was excited about the liberal leave Nick had granted. 

Nick looked shockingly ordinary out of his usual uniform, dressed in dark gray slacks and a black jacket. His eyebrows rose as he took in Sam’s attire.

“Um, well. You look slightly more…provocative than I expected,” he admitted. He cleared his throat. “Better take the collar off until we get to the club.”

Sam happily took the collar off and shoved it into the pocket of his jacket as he followed Nick into the small shuttle. He stopped, surprised, when Nick got into the pilot’s seat.

“You’re going to fly us there?”

Nick’s lips quirked. “I am a captain, after all.”

“Sorry.” Sam shook his head. “I just figured that you’d have someone chauffeuring you around.” 

Nick was punching something into the computer. “If possible, I’d rather not have our destination become the talk of the lower ranks. There is enough chatter about your presence already.” He gave Sam a rueful look, like this was his fault somehow.

Sam sat back in his seat and reflected on this. He almost felt guilty about that. He shook his head. He was clearly rocking the Stockholm syndrome. “You could have let Dean and Castiel go instead,” he suggested unhelpfully.

Nick let out a surprised laugh. “Oh, I can just see that. I don’t think I trust your brother not to abandon Castiel and make a run for it.”

“He’d never leave Jo,” Sam snapped. “Or me.”

Nick didn’t react to Sam’s tone. “Looks like we’re cleared. All strapped in?”

Sam fastened his restraints, and with a low hiss the shuttle bay doors opened and they glided out into space. Sam had trouble keeping his jaw from dropping at the view. He had ridden in a shuttle like this before, with the rest of the crew down to a small settlement, but the sight stunned him. The spaceport with its multiple arms was spread out in front of them like a giant metallic octopus, frozen in space. It was an enormous, bustling center of activity, with ships arriving and departing almost constantly. Nick piloted the shuttle up and they sailed over it, Sam peering down at the lights below. 

There was no sound other than the whirring of the ventilation and artificial gravity systems. Sam took a deep breath and mentally reviewed the plan. Nick had a couple of friends who were meeting them in the club. Nick thought they could provide a distraction so Sam and Nick could search the club for Jo.

It took them about 10 minutes to traverse to the other end of the port, and Nick neatly docked the shuttle in one of the open bays. 

They exited the docking bay, and Sam’s eyes widened. It seemed to him like someone had crammed all of Las Vegas into a mall. Huge electronic billboards lined the walls of a long concourse at least five levels tall, each level was lined with glittering lights. Huge throngs of people surrounded them. Street performances balanced on tightropes between the levels and on small floating platforms. Laughter and music drifted out from the storefronts and the smell of delicious food had Sam’s stomach rumbling. 

A hand wrapped around the back of his neck. “Better stay close,” Nick whispered into his ear. “Don’t want you getting lost.”

He kept the hand there, a clear sign of possession, as they walked down the long corridor.

“This way.” They turned and headed down what looked like an alleyway. There were fewer shops, and the frontage was darker. Sam was unable to see inside of most of what he assumed were bars. The bright lights and sounds of the main concourse faded away as they walked for a while. Sam could see this was definitely the shadier side of the spaceport. 

“This is it.”

The name above the door didn’t mean anything to Sam, but it was clear exactly what type of place this was. Music was pounding and everyone entering was wearing dark clothes and lots of make-up along with chains and collars. 

“Better put your… jewelry back on.”

Sam pulled the collar out of his pocket reluctantly and fastened it as they headed inside a large foyer, complete with lit torches adorning the walls. To the right, two large men dressed completely in black guarded a set of large double doors. The music was coming through the doors, a loud base along with some type of stringed instruments. It was strangely hypnotic. The doors open to admit a couple in front of them and Sam saw a dance floor overflowing with people, and several high platforms on which nearly naked people were gyrating.

Nick gripped Sam’s arm and pulled him to the left. The stepped down through another doorway. Cool air flooded over them. Sam squinted, waiting for his eyes to adjust.

“Nick!” A voice called to them.

Sam watched as a genuine smile broke out over Nick’s face. He released Sam and hurried over to the bar, clapping another man on the back. 

“What the hell are you doing in this part of the system?” Nick asked.

“Work,” the man replied. “Merger negotiation needed the magic touch and only I would do. I gave Jeff a call and heard you were around as well. Though, I have to admit,” he looked around, “this doesn’t seem like your usual kind of place.” He caught sight of Sam standing just behind Nick. “But…” He pursed his lips into a sly smile. “Maybe your tastes have changed.”

Nick actually looked a bit chagrinned. “It’s not exactly what it looks like—“

Sam raised his eyebrows. As far as he knew, it was exactly what it looked like. But he caught himself. This was for Jo, he thought, and Nick was helping them.

“This is Sam,” Nick said. “Sam, this is an old friend of mine from school. Harvey.”

Harvey and Sam shook hands, and Nick took a seat next to Harvey at the bar. Sam walked a few steps away to look around. It was much more upscale than the outside had suggested. The polished metal of the bar gleamed, and there were deep couches scattered around the room. A few couples talked quietly. It seemed a marked difference from the pounding music and gyrating bodies next door. It was hard to believe there could be slave traders here. He glanced back towards the door. Could she be in the other room?

Nick and Harvey were speaking in hushed tones. Sam took a few steps towards them so he could hear the conversation.

“You think slave traders are operating out of this place?” Harvey seemed skeptical.

“That’s the word on the street. Bee’s contact says they are keeping them in the back. I am hoping later in the evening we can get back there and ascertain the situation directly. It will be nice to know that you guys are watching our backs. Speaking of which…” Nick looked back over at Harvey. “Where’s your pup? Didn’t leave him at home, did you?”

“He’s on his way.” Harvey turned back to his drink. “Had some paperwork to finish.”

“Let him off the leash, did you?”

“He’s a big boy.” Harvey nodded at Sam. “So how did you two meet?”

Sam wondered how Nick was going to field this direct question from his friend.

“Sam’s brother is a … very good friend of Prince Castiel’s.” 

Well, that was the truth at least.

“Ah, that’s right. I forgot you have royal babysitting duty. How goes it?”

“The prince lives up to his reputation as being both kind and reasonable.”

Harvey laughed. “Are you quoting your press materials? That bad?” 

Nick shrugged. “He’s not as bad as I expected. A bit naïve, to be sure. A true believer in the whole mysticism nonsense, but at least he keeps it to himself for the most part.”

Harvey looked contemplative and sipped his drink. “Does he know, do you think?”

Nick looked away. “If he does, he’s given no indication.” 

“Know what?” Sam asked.

Both men turned to him sharply as if they had forgotten he was there. Nick shook his head, and Sam had enough experience to know that meant he wasn’t getting an answer.

Before the conversation could go on, another person walked up to their space at the bar. This guy was about Sam’s age, though shorter and skinny the point of almost looking emaciated.   
What made Sam’s eyes widen, though, were his clothes. Skin-tight thin black pants clung to him almost obscenely, and he wore a see-through mesh shirt. He also sported a collar, though his was mostly metal, thick intertwined links of silver. His blue eyes were heavily lined with kohl. 

Sam had him pegged for some kind of hustler when the guy smiled and said, “Nice to see you again, Nick.” He extended his hand.

Nick’s eyes widened and Harvey nearly spit out his drink.

“What the hell,” Harvey asked incredulously as Nick shook the extended hand, “are you wearing?”

“What? You told me to dress appropriately for this place.” He turned to Sam and extended his hand as well. “Hi, I’m Mike.”

“Sam,” Sam responded automatically as they shook hands. 

“You went out and bought those clothes?” Harvey asked. “Or did you already have them from…” He trailed off. 

Mike twirled around, showing off the outfit. “What’s the matter, Harvey? Don’t you like them?”

Harvey didn’t answer. He turned back to his drink, clearly not happy.

“Harvey doesn’t like to be reminded of what could have happened to me if he hadn’t found me.” Mike told Sam conspiratorially.

Sam had no idea what to say to that. “Um…” 

He was saved from answering by the arrival of two more people. The new couple was named Jeff and “Call me Bee, please!” and they were apparently newly married. Jeff was tall and handsome, wearing a suit similar to Harvey’s, while Bee was in skin-tight black dress with knee high boots. She was very pretty, with dark eyes and a snub nose. Her shoulder length blond ringlets were adorned with a single blue streak.

“Well,” Harvey offered. “Now that we are all here, shall we head inside?” 

Sam wished they could have all reviewed the plan before heading in, but didn’t feel like he had the right to protest. They all traipsed through a door in the back of the bar into the club. It was even darker in there, lit only by neon. Sam could feel a plush carpet under his feet. The room was strangely quiet, for they could see the entrance to the crowded dance floor and could feel, rather than hear, the restless thumps of the music.

Mike seemed to notice his confusion. “Sound dampeners,” he explained. “Can’t have the VIPs complaining that their ears hurt.” 

Ah, so this must be a VIP room. After his eyes adjusted, Sam could see they were in a large room filled with couches, crafted to create multiple dark corners. Nick, Harvey and Jeff all took a seat on a couch in the center of the room. As Sam went to sit as well, Nick’s hand clapped on his shoulder and he was unceremoniously guided towards the floor.

“On the floor, Sam.” Nick’s gentle tone belied his words.

Sam settled on the floor by Nick’s feet and was surprised when both Mike and Bee settled on the floor next to him.

“Well,” Bee said conspiratorially. “We’re playing the subs tonight. So, Sam, fill us in on what we are looking for?” She seems almost giddy.

Sam explained about Jo and the slave trader, as well as the plan that Nick had come up with. 

“So,” Mike said. “You need a distraction, and then you are going to slip into the back?”

“I guess,” Sam replied. He pursed his lips. “What if she’s not here?” he fretted. “What if this is the wrong place?”

Bee gave him a sympathetic look. “She was almost definitely brought through here, Sam.” She reached out and squeezed his hand. “But it’s possible that she has already been sold.”

Sam huffed. “And what then?” He glanced up at the men who were sitting on the couch. They had just been given drinks by a server who had wandered by and they now appeared to be deep in reminisces about their school days, paying no attention to the lower conversation.

“If that’s the case,” Mike volunteered, “I know someone who can hack in and trace the money transfers. It shouldn’t be too hard if they are running the money through this club.”

“And I have tons of contacts in the underground network. They’ll be able to drum up some leads,” Bee added. 

Sam sat back and tried not to think about how vast the galaxy was, and how many places Jo could be. It occurred to him that these two virtual strangers were being especially kind to him. “Thank you,” he said belatedly. 

“No problem. And as for the distraction, well, I think we can manage that.” Bee grinned at Mike, who smiled in return.

The conversation turned more general. Bee explained about her work. She was some kind of activist. She explained that she worked for an organization that helped “the oppressed of the society.” She had betrayed several of her ideals, she confided, by marrying a soulless lawyer. She gave Jeff a cheeky smile at that and rested her head against his knee.

Between her and Mike, who was also some kind of lawyer, they kept up most of the conversation on the floor. Sam tried to pay attention but felt frustrated. He wanted to get up and actively look for Jo. Were they just going to sit around all night? He was about to say something when he felt Nick’s hand on his neck again.

Nick leaned down and whispered in his ear. “There’s a door on the north wall. There are two men standing by it. Do you see?”

Sam scanned the room and picked out the door Nick meant.

“Yeah, I see it.”

“Two guards, but they both have drinks in their hands. The longer we wait, the drunker they are going to get, the easier it will be to get past them. So just hold tight, okay?”

Sam nodded. Nick squeezed his neck again and then settled back.

Hours passed. Sam kept a careful watch on the door. Jeff and Bee got up a few times to dance, but for the most part, everyone just talked.

Finally, Nick pulled Sam up. “Let’s dance,” he murmured. 

Sam allowed himself to be led onto the dance floor. Nick pulled him close. They were pressed together from neck to knees, not actually dancing but being gyrated about by the rest of the crowd. They bumped awkwardly a few times until Nick took a firm grip on Sam’s hips and pulled him close, slotting them together. Sam had never been much of a club guy, but he had to admit it was slightly erotic, being pressed so close, yet surrounded by other people. He wasn’t sure what to do with his hands.

Nick kept a hand on the small of Sam’s back as they moved into each other. The thumping beat of the music, the heat of the crowd, and the flashes of the strobe lights all had a hypnotic effect, and Sam struggled to remember the reason why they were here. 

Nick’s fingers brushed the swell of Sam’s ass and he actually arched against it, thinking it was just another grope. It wasn’t until Nick cursed softly into his ear and used his other hand on Sam’s waist to steady him that Sam realize he was actually trying to push something into his back pocket.

Nick whispered into Sam’s ear. “One of the guards has passed out already. The other will no doubt try to assist in whatever distraction that Bee and Mike are organizing. There’ll be another guard on the inside, but this…” He patted Sam’s pocket. “...will take care of that. Go to the men’s room and have a look, then try to get as close to the door as you can without raising suspicion. I’ll be a few minutes behind you once you get inside.”

Sam went to the bathroom and, after pushing aside several people in various stages of sex, was able to secure himself in a stall and discover a small, taser-like weapon. It would do nicely.

Sam went and leaned against the wall. He was by the door, but not close enough to raise the guard’s suspicion. He looked over at the group on the couch and caught Bee’s eye.

She grinned and mouthed, “Showtime?”

Sam nodded.

Bee took a deep breath and after a small pause let out a shriek that caused many people (including Harvey and Jeff) to drop their glasses in shock. She leapt to her feet and hauled Mike up by his shirt. Mike flailed backwards, arms wind-milling dramatically, and crashed into a waiter carrying a loaded tray of drinks. They went backwards into a group of tables, and Bee followed, still shrieking like a banshee. 

The resulting fracas seemed to hold everyone stunned for a moment, then there was a rush of motion, starting with both Harvey and Jeff leaping up to pull their partners off each other. As expected, the guard at the door tried to aid in the fray and Sam was able to slip through the door easily.

The first thing that Sam noticed was the heat. It felt almost steamy in this room compared to the cool air of the VIP area. The place stunk of sweat and stale alcohol.

Sam was so distracted by the myriad of bodies chained to the walls that he missed the guard until the other man was stumbling towards him. He seemed half drunk as well. Sam pushed the taser into the man’s ample stomach. He gave a sharp cry and then instantly crumpled. Sam quickly gagged the him and bound his hands and locked him in a small storage cupboard. 

He looked around. God, this place was awful. There were about fifteen men and women in various states of unconsciousness chained to the wall, along with a woman with dark hair was lying on the small cot by the door, uttering quiet, wordless moans. Sam quickly moved around the room, calling “Jo! Jo!” as loudly as he dared. Not that much could be heard over the restless beat of the music seeping through the walls. Sam felt his heart sink as he looked around. Jo wasn’t here.

He was prepared to slip back out into the main room when a hand grabbed his arm, startling him. It was the woman on the cot. “Jo,” she whispered. “Jo.”

Eagerly, Sam bent over her. “Do you know where Jo is?”

“Jo.” The woman repeated. Sam stopped. The brown eyes looked strangely familiar, but how could that be? Her pupils were dilated dramatically, and she struggled to focus on him. “Sam?”

The bottom fell out of Sam stomach. He staggered, almost as if hit by a physical blow. “Oh, my god, Ellen.”

He scooped the woman up into his arms and was wondering how to get her out of the club when Nick joined him.

“Sam? Is this her? I thought she was a blond.”

“No,” Sam gasped. “But she’s my friend, too. I can leave her here.”

Nick was incredulous. “You found another friend of yours here?”

“Yes. I am not leaving her,” Sam said firmly.

“Okay, okay,” Nick placated. “Give her to me. We have about five minutes till our next distraction.”

Nick took her weight easily, and Sam tried to check her vitals. After a few minutes, an alarm began blazing loudly.

“Your friends are very efficient,” Sam noted.

Nick grinned. “You have no idea.”

Sam glanced back at the other poor souls still chained to the walls. What would become of them?

“Sam,” Nick said firmly, reading his thoughts, “We have to go.”

Sam sighed and followed him out. They easily blended in with the crowd streaming out of the club, even carrying an unconscious woman. 

Just outside, the found Mike, waiting by a small golf cart-like contraption.

“Ah, success?” He beamed at them. “Thought you guys could use a ride back to your shuttle.”

They clambered in eagerly and soon were off.

“Did the others get out okay?” Nick asked.

“No problems,” Mike reported. “Jeff and Bee took off, and Harvey went all legal eagle on the club owner. Bodily harm, emotional trauma, blah blah blah. The guy was delighted to get him out the door.”

“We ruined your night out. I’m sorry.”

Mike laughed. “You didn’t ruin my night! This is the most fun I have had in weeks. Otherwise it would have just been dinner, and watching Harvey pick up the waitress and…” He trailed off, then seemed to mentally shake himself. “And anyway, Harvey is always happy when he gets to threaten to sue someone.So no harm, no foul there. Ah, is this it?”

They were back at the shuttle bay. Mike parked the cart and Nick carried Ellen into the back.

“Hope your friend is okay,” Mike said to Sam. “We’ll have to get together back on Enoch.”

“Thank you so much,” Sam said sincerely.

“No problem.” They shook hands again, and Mike hopped back into the cart and sped off.

Sam climbed into the shuttle and found Nick securing Ellen to a seat in the back.

“So want to tell me who this is, if she’s not your friend?”

“Her name is Ellen. She’s Jo’s mother.”

Nick stared at the woman. “She doesn’t look old enough to have a daughter your age.”

This was true. Ellen’s face was free of lines. Her hair was shiny and thick. Even her lips seemed fuller. “I know. She looks strange to me too, but it’s her. She knew me, said my name. They must have taken her, too.”

“I’ve paged the medical team on the ship. They’ll be waiting for us.”

Sam nodded and stroked his hand over Ellen’s brow. “Thank you.”

“Now come up here and strap in. We need to get going.”

In a few minutes, Sam was in the passenger seat and they were on their way. Sam wanted to distract himself from worrying about Ellen, so he asked, “So what’s the deal with Harvey and Mike?”

Nick glanced over at him. “What do you mean?”

“Well, do they work together? Their relationship seems a bit… closer than that.”

“Mike’s an interesting case. He’s not actually a lawyer. He’s technically a criminal.”

Sam snorted. “Should I avoid making a lawyer joke here?”

“On Enoch, those convicted of non-violent offenses can choose to be put into a work release program. Rather than rot in prison, they live on their own and work for companies that pay their basics expenses.”

“What did he do?” Sam asked. It was hard to picture.

“Got caught smuggling contraband,” Nick replied. “Drugs. Not hard stuff. But he got caught with enough to make it a serious offence. Harvey met him at one of the works fairs, and discovered that the kid is actually brilliant. He has a phenomenal memory. So they work together now.”

“They just work together? Nothing else going on between them?” There certainly had been some tension when Mike showed up in those clothes, and there was something in Mike’s eyes when he had talked about Harvey flirting in front of him.

Nick shrugged. “It’s complicated. Mike is totally dependent on Harvey for his position and the freedom that he has. That’s a big power imbalance.”

“Kind of like us.”

Nick gave him an unreadable look and went on. “I really don’t know if there is anything else going on. And I’d rather not ask.”

Sam decided to change the subject. “It’s funny that two of your good friends are lawyers.”

“Not really that funny, considering we met in law school.”

Sam turned his head and stared at Nick. “You’re a lawyer?”

The lines of Nick’s body were suddenly tenser. “No.”

“Oh.” 

There was an awkward silence before Nick went on. “I dropped out my second year and joined the military academy.”

“Why?” Sam asked.

After a minute, it became clear that Nick wasn’t going to answer him. The rest of the trip was spent in silence.

***

Bee and Mike had put out word about Jo through their networks and a few days later, they had located her. Getting Jo out had been remarkably easy. 

A week later, Sam walked into the infirmary and took a seat at Ellen’s bedside. He wondered if, when it was all done, he would have spent most of the time on the ship in the infirmary, sitting at either Dean’s bedside or Ellen’s.. 

“She looks better, don’t you think?” Jo asked tentatively from her spot on the other side of the bed.

Sam smiled at her. She was wearing borrowed scrubs, her long hair pulled away from her face. She was looked thinner than she had been on earth, with dark circles under her eyes, but aside from that, she was still the same old Jo. After everything else they had gone through, her rescue turned out to be remarkably easy.

Jo had apparently been bought as a “plaything” by a wealthy woman for her son, despite the fact that her son wasn’t interested in women.

They had been supplied an address by Mike’s hacker friend, who had broken into some kind of slave owner registry. A full Enochian security team, armed to the teeth, had burst into a stately apartment and found Jo sitting on a sofa, rather bored while her ‘owner’ entertained his boyfriend in the next room. She was completely unharmed and delighted to see them. Her owner had let her go with a fond kiss on the forehead and a promise to look him up if she were ever back in the area.

Breaking the news to Jo about Ellen’s condition had actually been more difficult than the rescue itself. Jo had almost no memory of her capture, and had no idea that her mother had been taken as well.

She broke down when she saw her mother in the hospital bed. Ellen’s vitals had been weak and the doctors had been unable to determine what kind of toxin she had been given. Nor could they explain her strange youthful appearance. Dean and Sam had been taking turns sitting with Jo at her bedside, being as comforting and encouraging as they could.

Ellen drifted in and out of consciousness randomly and seemed to be plagued with nightmares or lucid hallucinations. She did calm down quickly, especially with Jo at her bedside to talk to her, but it was clear she had no idea where she was. Occasionally she even asked for her long dead husband, or Sam and Dean’s father. The doctors were all puzzled by the cause.

“She does look better,” Sam said. Her color was better, and her breathing a bit stronger. He glanced out through the glass panel into the doorway and saw Dean conversing with one of the specialists Castiel had arranged. 

After a few more minutes of silence, the door opened and Dean and the doctor came in.

“Any word?” Sam asked.

“Dr. Singer thinks they have figured out what was given to her,” Dean replied.

“It’s an agent that is supposed to reverse the aging process,” the doctor said gruffly. “It’s incredibly dangerous. Probably kills at least half the people they give it to. But if they were planning to … sell her, well, it would increase the price dramatically.”

Jo shook her head. “They had no idea what they were getting with Mom.”

“But she’s going to be okay?” Sam asked.

The doctor nodded. “Now that we’ve figured out what it was, we should be able to start treating her property, heal the damage done to her internal organs. But it will going to take time.”

“And her appearance?” Dean asked.

The doctor shook his head. “Some of the changes will fade, but she’s probably always going to look much younger than she is from now on.”

“Hear that, Mom?” Jo muttered. “Facelift from hell, but at least you got something out of it.”

Sam and Dean chuckled softly. Ellen was probably the last woman they knew that would appreciate that kind of facelift. The doctor then urged them all out of the room. “You all should get something to eat. I’ll let you know if anything changes, but it will probably be another day before she is fully conscious.”

Jo and Dean headed down to the dining room to get dinner, but Sam begged off. He wasn’t hungry. Dean shot him a concerned look, but left with Jo. Sam knew he must look bad. Since they had found Ellen, he had been plagued with nightmares. He wasn’t sure if it was the residual guilt of leaving that roomful of people to their fate, or if the experience had triggered some memories of his own time with the slave traders.

He shook his head. He had been sitting all day and needed to burn off some energy. After the stress of the past week and his lack of sleep, he still felt jumpy and agitated. He decided to make use of the gym. 

He ran for a while on one of the ship’s high tech treadmills, then, damp and sweaty, he headed back to Nick’s stateroom. The run hadn’t really helped. He still felt wired. He stripped off his clothes and closed himself in the shower. He rested his head against the wall as the hot water beat down against his skin.

Ten minutes later, the door opened up behind him, and Nick stepped in.

Sam glanced over his shoulder at him. “I’ll be out in a minute.” 

Nick shook his head. “My shower,” he muttered. “I’m not waiting.” He stretched out and hit the control panel, turning on the spigots lining the sides of the shower. “God, this has been the week from hell.” He slumped into one of the corners, letting the water pound down onto his back and shoulders

Sam almost smiled to himself. He had barely seen Nick in the past week. The ship was trying to make up the time their journey to the spaceport had cost them. Nick had been on the bridge constantly. Now, with the man naked and wet in front of him, Sam let his mind drift back to those few moments at the club, when they were moving together on the dance floor. Maybe a bout of sex would cure what the run had not.

He placed his hands on Nick’s shoulders and began to knead softly. The other man let out a moan of pure pleasure and arched his back. Sam moved his hands slowly down the well-muscled back and then back up again, water sluicing off his fingers. He reached out to the dispenser on the wall and got a generous amount of cleansing gel and began to soap up Nick’s back. Nick sagged back into him, and Sam reached around him, repeating the process on his chest.

Nick rested his head back on Sam’s shoulder. “Fuck,” he muttered.

“Long day?” 

“I am getting some flak from the higher ups about the route we are taking, while at the same time they are insisting we get to Uldor on time. I had to spend hours placating them while double checking that we still have enough fuel to make it there.”

“Hmmm, that’s too bad,” Sam said casually, making sure to drag his thumb over a nipple.

“And I had to sit through three disciplinary boards because of ‘misbehavior’ at the last port call. Apparently my crew is full of idiots.”

“Awful,” Sam agreed, sweeping his hand low on Nick’s abdomen.

“Sam,” Nick’s voice was curious. “Is this your way of telling me that you need my attention?”

“I was just taking a shower,” Sam replied. “Minding my own business, when I was rudely interrupted.”

Nick spun around and Sam found himself pressed against the wall. “Rudely interrupted, were you?” He reached between Sam’s legs and took a firm hold of his cock.

Sam arched back with a moan.

“Have I been neglecting you, Sam?”

Sam didn’t answer, just pushed himself against Nick’s hand.

“I see I have yet another demand on my time I haven’t accounted for. My day isn’t over yet.” Nick moved his hand slowly up and down Sam’s cock. 

Sam hummed, tilting his neck in a clear invitation. Nick responded by leaning in and nipping at the delicate skin of his collar bone. Sam felt Nick’s cock pressed up against his thigh. He pulled Nick’s hand away and sank down on his knees.

“Fuck,” Nick groaned succinctly.

Sam mouthed at Nick’s cock, licking the water that was still pouring down off him with broad strokes of his tongue. It didn’t take long for Nick to harden fully.

“Demanding…” Nick muttered.

Sam pulled back. “If you’re too tired, I could just jerk off.” He looked up at Nick through his lashes. “You could watch.”

A firm grip in his hair pulled Sam upright. “Ass,” Nick said, half-laughing, before pressing his lips onto Sam’s. 

The kiss was hot and messy from the start, a battle of tongues. Nick still had Sam by the hair and was using it to keep Sam at the angle he wanted. Finally, he pulled back. “Out. Now.” He reached over and turned the water off.

Together, they stumbled out of the shower. Nick grabbed a towel sitting on the sink and set about drying Sam’s hair. When Sam tried to return the favor, he was unceremoniously spun around and pushed face-first into the bathroom wall. 

“Ungf,” he exclaimed. He felt his cheeks being parted and a lubed finger pressing inside of him. After a few passes, the one finger became two. “I’m ready,” Sam gasped out.

He wasn’t, really. But he didn’t care. At this point he would welcome the pain, the possession. As long as it drove out everything else that was rattling around in his brain.

Nick pulled him into the bedroom. Sam knelt on the bed with his hands against the wall, canting his ass up invitingly. “Come on, Captain. Fuck my brains out.”

“Oh, I’ll give you what you’re asking for.” Nick lined himself up and thrust into Sam.

It did hurt, but the flare of pain was just what Sam was after. “Harder,” he begged, adjusting his grip to keep his head from being smashed into the headboard. “Fuck, like that. Right there.”

Nick’s hands tightened their grip on Sam’s hips as he drove into Sam. It was so deep and rough and so good that Sam couldn’t think anymore. He could barely breathe. Everything about the past week, the worry, the guilt, everything that he knew he couldn’t control melted away. There was only him, this bed, and the cock that was splitting him open.

Sam felt the hot rush of his orgasm building, and he didn’t even try to fight it, prolong it. He came in a mind melting rush that whited out his vision, shooting stream after stream of come onto the pillows. 

The feel and sound of Sam coming must have pushed Nick over the edge, because less than a minute later he was shouting out and collapsing onto Sam’s back.

Sam flipped the pillow he was laying on over as Nick rolled off him. They were both still breathing hard

“Fuck,” Nick repeated.

“Better than a disciplinary hearing?” Sam asked sleepily.

Nick’s answering snort was the last thing he heard before he slipped into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be Dean/Cas heavy!


	4. Chapter 4

Dean Winchester was restless. He paced up and down the narrow space in Prince Castiel’s stateroom, ignoring the meal that had been set out for him. He couldn’t say what it was exactly that was troubling him. Of course, he had plenty of reasons to choose from. He had still been reeling from his father’s death when he and his brother had been kidnapped and sold into slavery in outer space, and then he had been rescued by a price, some blue eyed royal from another planet who was convinced that Dean was his soul mate.

The discovery of their childhood friend and her mother had really just been the topper on what had been several truly awful months.

But even with all of that, it still could not explain his building anxiety, which seemed to be getting worse with each passing day. A sharp pain in his jaw made him realize he was grinding his teeth. He massaged his sore face with one hand as he collapsed on the small couch. He still was not allowed outside the prince’s suite without an escort, so he was left with mindlessly pacing this small room. He was going to start breaking things soon.

The door slid open and Cas – Prince Castiel, Dean corrected himself firmly - walked in. He had not quite forgiven Castiel for lying to him when he first woke up.

“Oh, hello Dean,” Castiel smiled warmly. “I didn’t expect you to be here. How is Ellen today?”

“She’s okay,” Dean muttered.

Castiel didn’t say anything more. He walked to his desk and sat down.

Since the night Dean had gotten so drunk and stripped down and propositioned Cas (which had been interrupted by Sam and the news about Jo) they had not had any further physical contact. Castiel hadn’t even brought up that night or the things that Dean had said. He seemed content to keep things as they were. Dean didn’t know whether to be relieved or irritated about that.

He pushed his thoughts about that night out of his mind. Jo was here with them now, Ellen was improving every day. There was nothing else to worry about…was there?

He turned back and found Castiel engrossed in his work, scribbling something out on his tablet. He was frowning down at it, his hand absently rubbing the back of his neck. Dean reminded himself that he didn’t find the tight press of Castiel’s lips endearing. Not at all.

He sighed. Maybe he needed a distraction of some kind. “What are you doing?” he asked.

Castiel looked up, surprised. Dean wasn’t sure if it was at his question of if Cas…tiel had forgotten he was in the room.

He smiled ruefully. “I am supposed to give a speech at the reception ceremony when we get to Uldor. I am just working on it.”

“Thought you would have someone to write all that stuff for you.”

Castiel huffed. “I do. Several people, in fact. However they seem incapable of writing anything I would actually ever say.”

Dean hmm’d in response. Figuring it was as good a distraction as any, he got up and stood behind Castiel leaning over his shoulder. It was still, on some level, rather bewildering that his brain could take in the slashing lines that decorated the screen of the tablet and form them into words, but it did.

He read out loud, “I come here today to bid you welcome from the great planet of Enoch, and remind you all that you, our colonists, share in the glory of our great empire.” He winced. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound like anything anyone would say.”

Castiel laughed. “No one but a pompous git. Which is, I am sorry to say, how most people perceive me.”

Dean was puzzled by that. Castiel had never come across as pompous to him. A little strange, maybe, but never pompous. “You don’t seem that way to me.”

“Maybe you know me better than most.” Castiel turned his head, and his lips just barely brushed against Dean’s jaw. Dean jerked backwards as his heart rate kicked into overdrive. Heat flooded into his cheeks.

Castiel was still regarding him silently. Dean felt the attraction pulse between them. He wanted to close the small distance between them, wanted to take Castiel into his arms and…Dean rubbed the back of his neck, and turned his head away. He ruthlessly pushed the feelings down again.

He walked away from Castiel and called over his shoulder that he was going to bed. The quiet, “Goodnight, Dean” called after him went unanswered.

 

***

Two days later, and Dean’s anxious feelings had only grown worse. The ship had arrived at Uldor, and he, Sam and Jo had been granted permission to come down to the surface. The arrival of a member of the royal family from Enoch was apparently a big deal, and a small festival had been set up. There were tents and food stands set up all around the amphitheater where the actual reception ceremony was to take place.

Sam and Jo were enjoying the sights while Dean milled about a few steps behind them, trying to calm the anxious feeling in his stomach.

Sam had bought a pint of some kind of native fruit and was munching away.

“What are you eating?” Jo asked. “Are you sure that stuff is safe for us?”

“Nick said everything here is fine,” Sam responded with his mouth full. “Try these, they’re pretty good, they look like little tomatoes but they’re sweet, like strawberries.”

Jo took one dubiously, and Sam offered the carton to Dean. He took one absently. It did have a thick skin like a tomato, but once he bit down on it a light, sweet taste flooded his mouth. “Not bad,” he declared, and took the container from Sam.

“Help yourself,” Sam muttered as Dean put another berry in his mouth. Dean hadn’t managed a proper meal in days, thanks to his twisting stomach.

He picked up another piece of fruit and brought it to his lips. Before he could bite down on it, a wave of nausea swept through him. His mouth went dry and his knees nearly buckled. There was a roaring sound in his ears and then suddenly, everything went quiet. He closed his eyes and one thought came blasting through his mind like a bullet.

Cas. Cas was in danger. He needed to get to Cas, right now.

His entire body jolted into action, and the berries dropped of his hand.

“Come on, Dean, I paid for those…”

But Dean was already running for the amphitheater. He heard Jo and Sam calling behind him.

He was at the entrance they caught up to him. “Cas,” he gasped. “There’s something wrong. He’s in danger. I just know.”

Jo stared at him in disbelief, but Sam only said, “What should we do?”

“Let’s just get in there and look around.”

The amphitheater was large and filled with people. He could see Cas sitting with Nick and some other dignitaries on the stage. There was a man at the podium apparently giving a long speech. Cas looked somewhat impatient and Nick looked bored.

Sam was scanning the crowd. “There,” he whispered to Dean. “In the back. The guy in the hood.”

Dean searched the crowd and immediately saw who Sam meant. It was a warm day, and this guy was wearing long robes and had a hood over his face.

“Try to get near him,” Dean whispered. “I am going to try to get to Cas. Jo, keep a lookout.”

Jo nodded and Sam and Dean began moving through the crowd.

The guy at the podium was done, and the audience started applauding. Cas had gotten to his feet and walked to the podium. Dean pushed his way along the crowd a bit faster.

He was finally at the front when he heard Jo’s voice scream, “Gun!”

Dean didn’t have time to think. He just reacted. He leapt up on the stage and tackled Cas. As they both crashed to the floor he heard the whiz of the bullet directly over their heads and the wall behind the podium splintered.

Time seemed to stop. Dean heard distant screams and the pounding of feet. There were shouts that sounded like orders he couldn’t understand and several thumps. Dean glanced up and saw Sam struggling with the man in the hood. Uniformed men were rushing to help him.

He glanced back and met Cas’s eyes. They were wide with fear and very, very blue. Dean ran his hands over the back of Castiel’s head, slightly worried Cas had sustained a concussion.

“Dean,” Cas murmured. “Dean, you saved me.”

“I’ll always save you, Cas.” The words came to Dean’s lips unbidden.

Cas tilted his head and their noses bumped. Dean pulled back a bit, hesitated, and was about to lean forward again, to push his lips against Cas’s when he was bodily picked up and hauled off Cas by half a dozen armed men. Cas was hustled behind the stage.

It was over an hour before they were united again. The local security had locked the entire place down. Dean sat next Sam and Jo with the rest of the crowd until Nick had appeared and vouched for them. They were ushered backstage. Nick reported that Castiel was perfectly fine and was currently being checked over by a doctor, despite his protests.

Dean wanted to asked more questions, but Nick had noticed that Sam’s lip had been split during his struggle with the assassin and called for first aid, cupping Sam’s face in his hands a little too familiarly. And Sam was grinning up at Nick a little too happily for Dean’s comfort.

However, that distraction was enough for Dean to slip out of the room and go in search for Cas. As he headed into a corridor, he was immediately hailed by one of the uniformed soldiers.

“Prince Castiel has been asking for you. Please follow me.”

Dean followed the man past two heavily armed checkpoints into a small room. Cas was seated in the center, being examined by a man who was shining a bright light into his eyes.

As Dean walked in, Cas turned to him and smiled. He extended his hand, and Dean took it in his own. The doctor withdrew, and Cas got to his feet. Dean cupped the back of Cas’s neck and kissed him.

A few minutes or a few hours later (Dean had lost track of time), there was a loud throat clearing behind them.

“Your Grace,” someone spoke. “It is time to return to the ship. Your parents have been informed of this incident and wish to speak with you immediately.”

Castiel pulled away from Dean and smiled ruefully. “I want to check on those that were injured in the crowd.”

The guards argued, but Cas held firm. “I am going to speak to them for a few minutes.” He turned to Dean. “Will you come with me?”

Dean gripped his hand tightly in return. “Yes, let’s go.”

*-*-*

They held hands in the shuttle on the way back to the ship. As soon as they arrived, they were ushered by the First Lieutenant into the Officer’s Wardroom. The room was large, with a long table stretched down the center. A large screen had been pulled down at the end of the room.

Nick, still in his dress uniform, was standing in front of the screen, giving a report of what had occurred that afternoon to an older couple. The woman had Cas’s dark blue eyes and dark hair, though liberally streaked with gray. A man with light blond hair and a full beard had his arm around her.

“The perpetrator was taken into custody by the Uldor authorities and is currently being held in their secure facility under full guard.”

As Nick concluded his report, the man immediately began to bark out questions.

“How was this allowed to happen?”

Nick seemed unflustered by this vehement attack. “Sire, as you know, it is policy of the Enochian military to rely on the security forces of the hosting planet, which we were assured were eminently capable.”

“Why was this man even allowed into the amphitheater?”

“He had no criminal record. It has since been determined that he very recently became a member of a prominent anarchist group.”

 “Father,” Castiel interjected, walking to the front of the screen. “Everyone was very capable. There is no need to assign blame.”

Castiel’s mother visibly relaxed as soon as she saw him. “Oh, Castiel.” She breathed, “We have been so worried about you.”

Castiel smiled, “Mother, I am fine, as you see. There is no need to worry.”

Castiel’s father nodded. “Yes, it is very fortunate you were not hurt.” He turned his attention back to Nick. “What steps are being taken to ensure this does not happen again?”

The man continued to bark out questions, and Nick answered each one calmly and politely. His insouciance seemed to only enrage the man further.

“Captain,” the man spit the word out like it was some kind of vile curse. “If there is any indication your negligence allowed this situation to happen, I will have you stripped of command.”

Nick blinked, but “I serve at your Majesty’s pleasure,” was his measured response.

“My dear, I do think you are being a bit harsh,” Castiel’s mother whispered.

“Yes, Father, I understand you are upset, but I am fine.”

Nick had turned on his heel and marched out of the room. A few of the other officers in the room exchanged startled looks at this. After a quick glance at his brother, and a shrug of the shoulders, Sam followed him out of the room.

Dean sat in the back of the room and watch as Cas continued to reassure his parents that he was fine. Castiel’s mother wanted him to cancel the rest of the trip and come back to Enoch immediately. Castiel politely refused, insisting that he did not want to give the impression he was cowed by the attack. “It is important that we do not seem to fear these people.”

After a few more questions and assurances, Castiel asked about his brothers, and then the conversation was concluded. The First Officer concluded the call, and everyone prepared to leave.

“Dean, please go back to the room and wait for me there. I have a quick errand to run.”

Dean stopped. “I’ll come with you.”

“No.” Cas smiled. “I believe it would be best if I did this alone.”

Dean tried not to feel stung. They had been wrapped around each other just a few hours before, and now Cas was sending him back to his room. What had he done?

Cas reached out and took Dean’s hands. “Dean, I am sorry. I do want you to come with me, but I feel this conversation is one that I need to have alone. Please trust me. I will explain everything to you soon.”

Dean nodded, mollified.

*-*-*

Sam silently followed Nick as he strode into their stateroom. He was considering opening with “Do you want to talk about it?” or maybe just a “What the hell was that about?”

Nick pulled out a bottle of ambrosia and poured himself a very large glass. He stared at it for a long moment, before getting up and pushing the glass into Sam’s hands.

“Here,” he muttered. “If I start drinking, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.”

Sam went with his first choice. “So, do you want to talk about it?”

Nick laughed bitterly. “I’d rather talk about anything else.”

Sam wasn’t going to push. He took a sip of the potent drink and turned to stand at the portal. He was surprised when Nick started talking behind him.

“Growing up, I never who knew my father was. My mother told me he died before I was born. Funnily enough, I never really felt the lack. I had my grandfather, who I adored and several uncles. I didn’t lack for male role models.”

“My mother died during my second year studying law. She had been sick for a while, but she kept her illness from me for as long as she could, and I didn’t have any time to prepare myself. She knew, though, knew she was dying and—“ Nick swallowed hard. “There was a royal representative waiting for me after the funeral. Apparently she had written to my father a few months before.”

“He was alive the whole time?” Sam asked.

“I don’t think he knew. But when he found out, his first impulse was to send someone with a check, a pay-off.

“Shit,” Sam breathed. “The King. He’s your father? Does that mean—“

Nick shook his head. “It doesn’t mean anything. I have no claim to the throne. Prince Castiel’s mother was the heir to the throne. I believe he saw my mother as… one last fling before he settled down into his arranged marriage.”

“So why…”

“The relationship between the King and Queen is quite a happy one. He may have been happier than he expected, and was not willing to hurt his wife by revealing he had been dallying before their wedding.”

“I reacted …badlyNick met his eyes. “You have to understand, Sam. I was still reeling from my mother’s death. I shouted, issued threats. It was stupid. I wasn’t thinking. I threw the representative out and spent next three days drunk out of my mind. Harvey and Jeff had to come and pull me out of the hole I had dug myself into.”

Nick collapsed into a chair.

“A few weeks later, I got an official message. While I was welcome to finish my education, I would never be admitted to the Enochian Bar. After working for all that time, my plans were gone.”

“They can do that?” Sam was appalled.

“On Enoch, all law licenses have to be approved by the royal family. It’s normally just a formality. But it does allow them to block criminals or other undesirables.”

“I’m sorry.” Sam tried to imagine how that must have felt.

Nick laughed off those six years of his life. “So I joined the military, that always faithful refuge for bastards. I expected to be miserable, but to my surprise I found it rather suited me. And instead of all of my promotions being blocked, I moved up the ranks rather quickly. Apparently I was allowed to succeed, as long as it was far, far away from Enoch.”

He was interrupted by a chime at the door. Nick rolled his eyes. “What now?” he sighed.

The door panel slid open and Castiel came in, his face concerned.

Nick immediately stood to attention. “Your Grace, I—“

Castiel cut him off quickly. “Captain, Sam. I just wanted to apologize for my father. He can be a bit… overprotective and overbearing.”

“Your Grace, you owe me no apology.”

Castiel gave him a slight smile. “I believe I do.” He turned, and paced slightly before turning back. “Of course, I never expected anything like this to happen. But I was the one that requested your ship for this expedition of mine. I am sure that you were not thrilled at the prospect of chaperoning me.”

“But,” he added, with a rueful glance at Sam, “Perhaps it has not been completely burdensome for you.”

Nick looked puzzled. “Why did you want me?”

“Can’t you guess, Captain?” Castiel’s blue gaze had never seemed more powerful.

When it became clear that Nick wasn’t going to answer, Castiel went on, “Well, it’s a story that is perhaps best left for another time, but I did want to know you. Know who you are. But, I will leave you alone for now. I just did not want to have you worrying about your career all night. But I hope we can speak again, soon.”

Nick nodded.

Goodnight, Sam,” Castiel called.

“Night, Cas.”

*_*_*

 

Dean paced the room while he waiting for Cas to come back. He knew that Cas was safe on the ship, but he hadn’t wanted to let him out of his sight. Cas had nearly died today. Dean could imagine what would have happened if he had been a second later, if he had doubted their connection for a second longer. It made him feel sick.

He thought about Cas, lying dead on the floor of the amphitheater. He imagine those two people he had just seen weeping about their dead son light years away. And what about him? He had spent months pushing Cas away. And he had almost been left alone, a universe away from everything he had known. And he owed so much to Cas.

But what was between them was more than gratitude. They were connected. Dean couldn’t doubt it any longer. He was going to spent the rest of his life making it up to Cas, with whatever he could.

The door swung open and Cas walked in. For a moment, neither of them spoke or moved. And then, as if drawn together by an irresistible force, they crashed into each other. Their mouths collided in an almost painful fashion as their hands tried to be everywhere at once.

It seemed to take a long time to get them out of their clothes. Dean kept getting distracted by each new bit of skin that was revealed on Cas’s body. Finally they were both naked, hot and hard against each other and they tumbled together into bed.

“God, Cas, you’re so beautiful,” Dean gasped. It was true. He’d never considered another man worthy of that word before. Sexy, sure. Hot, definitely. But here, in this bed, with the flush of arousal brightening that blue gaze, there was no other word for him.

“Dean,” Cas murmured. “Dean, I want to be inside of you. I want you to be all around me. Please, Dean.”

Normally, Dean would be affronted for anyone to assume he would be the bottom. Not that he didn’t, occasionally, but to presume it right off. Now, though, indignation was the farthest thing from his mind. Now, all he could think to do was to stutter out, “Oh, God, yes!”

With only a quick grin in reply, Cas leaned over to grab a tube of lubricant out of the bedside table and slid down Dean’s body. The sight of Cas between his spread thighs was enough to temporarily rob Dean of breath, but when Cas leaned down to take Dean’s cock into his mouth, Dean lost the ability the think as well. He could only take huge shuddering breaths as Cas patiently slid his mouth up and down on him a few times. Then Cas gently pushed two slick fingertips inside him and sight was beyond him as well.

Cas was very good at this. He sucked Dean like it is all he has wanted to do for months, and Dean realized that might actually be true. Cas gave him long, heavy pulls on his erection that made Dean’s hands clench in the sheets. Cas’s fingers were relentless, sliding their full length up inside him and unerringly finding his prostate. Dean wondered where a member of the Enochian royal family would learn such skills and then hastily pushed that thought out of his mind. This was new, what was happening between then. It was just them, and it would blot out any other encounters they might have had.  Dean groaned wordlessly at the ceiling, and by the time Cas pushed his third finger inside, he felt open and wet and desperate with the desire.

“I’m ready,” he told Cas, but Cas refused to be rushed. He shook his head gently (with Dean’s cock still in his mouth) and hummed, and that alone nearly drove Deanover the edge.

Dean was close to begging by the time Cas finally pulled his fingers out and crawled his way up Dean’s body. Their lips met in a messy kiss. Dean groaned at his own musky taste in Cas’s mouth. He canted his hips and wrapped his legs around Cas’s waist as Cas guided himself into place. One long steady push, and they were united.

Dean stared into Cas’s eyes. He almost didn’t have this. He had pushed Cas away from him time and again, and today he had almost lost him forever. His arms tightened reflexively around his lover’s body at the thought.

Cas leaned down and kissed him. Dean gave himself up to the kiss, relishing the tangle of their tongues. He closed his eyes, and tried to imagine his life without Cas. He would be alone in this strange place, no Sam, No Jo and Ellen. He would have never known…

Cas pulled back suddenly. “Dean, what’s wrong?”

Dean shook his head. “Nothing, Cas. Nothing. I just…” His voice gave out.

Cas shifted his weight on top of Dean and reached a hand up to caress his face, wiping away the moisture that Dean hadn’t even felt.

“Kiss me again, Cas,” Dean begged, and Cas obliged him.

They rocked against each other for a long while. Dean rejoiced in the feeling of Cas inside him, his  arms around him. This wasn’t just sex, he realized. It felt pure. A few more thrusts of Cas’s hips and Dean cried out, his body shuddered and he came all over his stomach.

A few seconds later, Cas was stilling and crying out and coming inside Dean. Dean held him close, stroked his back through it. They stayed locked together after it was over, whispering endearments. In the darkness of the room, in Cas’s arms, Dean felt truly at peace for the first time in years.

*-*

“What’s going to happen now?” Dean asked, once they were sated and clean and wrapped around each other.

Cas lifted his head from where it was resting on Dean’s chest. “What do you mean?”

Dean shrugged. “I mean, we’re here, on this ship. It’s easy for us to be together. What happens when we get back to your planet and you have to be royalty again?”

Cas chuckled and propped his chin up on Dean’s chest. “I am royalty now, Dean. Nothing changes once we go home.”

“Home,” Dean echoed. The word filled him with an almost dreadful longing.

“Yes, Dean. Our home. Whatever I have is yours, from now on.”

Dean shook his head. “Not sure how your parents are going to feel about that.”

“You saved my life, Dean. They owe you a great debt.”

“I just can’t think that it is going to be that easy.”

“Maybe not,” Cas smiled ruefully. “But you will win them over. We have a profound bond. It won’t take them long to see that.”

“Cas, they’re not going to throw open the doors and welcome me in to the palace.”

Cas seemed unconcerned. “So, to start, we’ll get you set up in an apartment in Pergamon. Someplace for you and Sam. I have more than enough disposable income to arrange that. We’ll start gradually, a few public appearances here and then. It will become apparent soon enough. I should warn you, though,” Cas gave him a small smile. “Eventually Mother will want a ceremony.”

“A ceremony?”

“Mmmm.” Cas’s eyes were thoughtful. “Probably just a small one…Only seven or eight hundred people.”

“Eight-- What!” Dean lurched upright and just caught Cas’s smirk as he tried to hide it. “Why you little…”

There was a brief tussle, which ended with Cas pinned under Dean, openly laughing as Dean glared down at him, “Oh…Dean, your face.” He broke off again in peals of mirth. 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Nick drummed his fingers on the wardroom’s table as he looked over the Morningstar’s current schedule. They were almost through this deployment. In less than a month they would be back on Enoch. Home, Nick thought. He had several unanswered emails from his detailer about his next assignment. He was long overdue for some type of administrative position. Nick had previously dreaded the thought of being stuck behind a desk all day, but after the excitement of this trip, he thought he might not mind a little boredom.

Prince Castiel had firmly refused any idea of cutting the trip short. A few excursions had needed to be rearranged to accommodate tighter security, and now they were a full two days ahead of schedule. Nick looked over their current position and smirked to himself as an idea occurred to him.

Lt. Milton entered the room and murmured a quiet “Good morning, Captain.”

“Morning, Lieutenant,” Nick replied. “I am just looking over the schedule. What would you think about a morale building excursion?”

The lieutenant poured herself a cup of coffee and joined him at the table. She smiled. “Have you noticed morale to be particularly low, Sir?”

“Morale could always be higher. I was thinking of a 36 hour liberty on Torlock. Do you think that would be well received?”

Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding?”

“We’re ahead of schedule, and we pass close enough by.”

“I can feel morale rising already.” She smiled and took a sip of her coffee.

Torlock was primary dominated by forests, but there was a long held Enochian outpost there. There was a highly secure Royal compound which would guarantee the safety of Prince Castiel, and by the base there were many sandy beaches, nightclubs, restaurants and hotels. It had become a popular tourist destination in the last 20 years, and it was always a popular stop on deployments.

“So what brought this on?” Milton asked. “Are you angling for a ‘Best Captain’ mug at the arrival party?”

Nick laughed. “That’s an honor I dare not dream of.” He scratched his forehead. “I’ll have to run it by our royal guest, but I doubt he will have any objections.”

That would be an interesting conversation. Since their brief meeting after the assassination attempt, Nick had carefully avoided being alone with the prince. He had not felt up to any more sharing of confidences. Castiel may know the truth about his parentage, but that did not mean he wanted any brotherly bonding.

He shook his head and turned his thoughts back to Torlock. Nick smiled. He knew just what he wanted to do with his 36 hours…

 

*-*-*

 “You want to go… camping?” Sam asked. He picked up a piece of the gear that Nick had tossed on the bed.

“There’s a trail that runs north of the city up Mount Katabasis. From the drop-off, I’d expect we only need about nine hours to reach the summit.”

Sam laughed. “Only nine hours. Well, that’s an easy day.”

Nick looked up from where he was seated at the desk. “Problem, Sam?”

Sam shook his head. “Sorry, you just never really struck me as a big nature guy.”

“Spending most of my time in space makes me appreciate the fresh air and mountains more. I promise you it is quite beautiful.” He turned back to the map be had been reading. “Of course,” he added offhandedly, “If you prefer, you could always stay with your brother and Prince Castiel.”

 Sam laughed. “No thanks. I’d like to keep my eyes. I’ve already walked in on them twice.”

Nick smirked. Prince Castiel and Dean had become openly demonstrative over the past weeks. When they weren’t actively touching each other, there was generally a lot of meaningful staring. The crew had remarked on it. Luckily they had been taking most of their meals in Prince Castiel’s quarters. Unfortunately they did not always remember to secure the door to the stateroom and had been ‘unpleasantly interrupted’ once or twice.

“So you’ll come?” Nick was surprised at how tentative his voice sounded.

“Yeah, wouldn’t miss it.”

*-*-*

 

In the shuttle on the way to the drop off point, Sam marveled at Nick’s outright excitement at this camping trip. He could barely sit still: checking and rechecking their packs, fiddling with the zipper on his jacket, asking Sam about the supplies, looking up the weather report. The suave, professional military officer that he knew had vanished, and in his place was a giddy school kid.

As the shuttle landed, they both pulled on the heavy packs and set off on the trail. It was a warm day, but there was a strong breeze blowing. Sam took a deep breath. They could smell the sea in the air, mingled with the scent of pine and the native flowers. Birds, hidden by the foliage, chirped in the trees.

“I don’t know how many people are going to be here this time of year,” Nick explained. “But it shouldn’t be too crowded.”

Sam nodded. Nick set a grueling pace for them, and it took most of his effort just to keep up with him. About two hours in, they stopped for a break.

Sam gulped down some water, while Nick shifted the contents of their packs. “I see what you mean about the fresh air,” Sam said in between gulps.

Nick grinned. “Wait until we get up a little higher.”

“Any wildlife I should keep an eye out for?”

“Nothing too dangerous around these parts.” Nick considered. “And everything should be scared off by all of your huffing and puffing.”

“Hey!” Sam exclaimed, a bit stung. “I am doing fine.”

Nick laughed. “Sure thing, Sam.” He tossed him back his pack.

Sam pulled it on. It was noticeably lighter. Nick had clearly shifted some of the heavier items to his pack. He rolled his eyes. Then hurried to keep up as Nick has already started back on the trail.

They made it to the summit in eight and a half hours. As they were making the final approach, they finally encountered a few other people. A group of three women were heading in the opposite direction.

“Coming from the top?” Nick asked once they were close enough to converse. “How was it?”

“Gorgeous, as always,” one of the women replied. “We had it all to ourselves.”

Nick beamed. “Great.”

“Maybe we should stay another night,” another replied, looking suggestively back in their direction. The other two laughed, but neither Nick nor Sam made responded and they moved past each other.

Nick stopped. “Let’s make it clear we’re not interested,” he whispered. He wrapped an around Sam’s neck and pulled him into a kiss. More giggles came from behind them, but Nick was unembarrassed. He pulled back, grabbed Sam’s hand and dragged him forward the rest of the way.

He dropped Sam’s hand once they got to the campground.  

“We can set up right over here.” Nick sprinted towards a wide, flat area and crouched down and began unpacking his pack.

Sam dropped his pack and collapsed on the ground. He was exhausted. “I think I’ll sleep right here,” he called.

“There’s a lake right over that ridge. Why don’t you go check it out? Perfect time for a swim.”

Sam raised his head. “I didn’t pack a bathing suit.”

Nick shot him that grin again. “We’re the only ones here. You don’t need one.”

Sam got unsteadily to his feet. “And nothing in this lake’s going to eat me, right?”

“Sam, would I be so cavalier with you safety?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam muttered as he headed toward the ridge.

The lake was incredible. Crystal blue, with a waterfall pouring into it from at least 300 feet up. Sam stripped off his sweaty clothes and plunged in. The water was deliciously cold. He actually cried out in pleasure as he flipped onto his back and floated, his eyes drifting closed.

He pulled himself upright when he heard someone approaching, but it was just Nick, smiling and screwing together pieces of metal that turned out to be a fishing pole. He dropped a bottle in the shallows and then headed for the far bank.

“Stay over there,” he called. “You’ll scare the fish toward me.”

Sam gave him a lazy thumbs up as he drifted towards the shore.

Refreshed, he now could admit that the view was amazing. Mountains surrounded them and to the south he could just catch a glimpse of the sea beyond. He had to admit, this made the strenuous day completely worth it.

He said as much to Nick after he pulled himself out of the water.

“Told you,” Nick replied. He gathered up the fish he had caught and walked with Sam back to the camp. “Can you build a fire?”

Sam got the fire going while Nick cleaned and gutted the fish.

For dinner, they gorged themselves on the fish and the few other rations they had brought, and shared swigs from the bottle of liquor, now cold from its time in the lake. Sam watched the sun sink over the mountains and laid back in his sleeping bag. It had been a great day, he thought to himself. He spared a thought for Dean and Castiel. They were spending the night at the royal compound on the beach. Sam knew they were probably being waited on hand and foot. He smirked when he thought Dean would probably be more uncomfortable there than he was here, sleeping on the ground.

He dozed for a while, and was gently shaken awake by Nick a few hours later.

“Sam, Sam, wake up.”

Sam huffed, and didn’t open his eyes. “Do you want sex now?” he asked incredulously. “After you made me hike all day?”

He heard Nick laugh. “I just think you might want to open your eyes, Sam. Otherwise you might miss the show.”

“Show?” Sam asked. He opened his eyes and started. “Wow.” He propped himself up on his elbows. “The Aurora Borealis,” he murmured.

“What?” Nick asked.

“That’s what we call it on earth,” Sam explained. “The lights caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the thermosphere.”

The sky rippled with color, reds and greens and blues. Sam leaned back and let it wash over him. “Wow,” he repeated. They were both side by side, on their backs, eyes on the sky.

“My grandfather used to take me here when I was a boy,” Nick confided.

“Really?”

“We were very close. He brought me here, taught me how to fish. Some of my best memories from my childhood are in this place.”

They were quite for a moment as Sam took this in. “I never knew my grandparents.”

“No?” Sam felt Nick’s eyes on him, but kept his on the sky.

“They all had died before I was born. My mom died when I was only six months old.” Sam paused. “The only family I ever had was my father and Dean… Just Dean, now.”

Nick was silent for a moment. “All my family is gone as well.”

“Not all.” Sam turned his head and looked at Nick.

“All.” Nick’s voice was firm.

“Castiel clearly wants to know you.” Sam persisted.

“No, Sam, I…” Nick swallowed audibly. “Whatever Castiel thinks he is to me doesn’t make him my family.”

Sam considered this. “No, I guess not. But still, he feels a connection to you. And… well, he’s a good man, isn’t he?”

Nick was silent for a moment. “He is.”

“Then why—“

“I… I don’t want to talk about this now.”

Sam nodded. “Sorry.” After a few moments he added, “Thank you for bringing me here. It’s amazing.”

Nick turned his attention back to the sky. “It’s one of my favorite places. I’m glad you like it.”

Sam inched closer to Nick. Close enough to wrap an arm around him. When Nick turned to him questioningly, Sam brought their lips together in a fierce kiss. From there they devolved into frantic gropes and hard kisses. They both squirmed out of their sleeping bags and tried to shed their clothes without letting go of each other.

They rutted against each other, hard and fast, arms and legs constantly moving in search of the perfect angle. It didn’t take either of them long to find completion. Wetness spread out over their stomachs as they lay gasping in the afterglow.

“God, Sam…” Nick gasped. He pulled Sam close to him and pressed a kiss on his forehead. “Amazing.”

They separated and hastily wiped each other down, then retreated to their separate sleeping bags once again. Nick drifted off to sleep quickly. Sam stayed awake, watching the colors course across the sky and wondered if he’d even felt this content on Earth.

*-*-*

 

Nick woke up just as the sun was beginning to crest the mountains the next morning. Sam was still dead to the world next to him.

He smiled as he began rummaging through what was left of their rations for breakfast. They only needed about four hours to get to the pick-up spot, so he could let Sam sleep a little longer.

He strode off towards the lake, enjoying the slight breeze. Stripping off his clothes, he drove into the water. God, he loved this place. He needed to come here more often, he decided, swimming lazy laps from shore to shore. He never took his annual leave. He should. He promised himself he would in the future.

Of course, next time Sam wouldn’t be here with him. The thought stopped him mid-stroke. No, they had agreed that once they reached Enoch, Sam would be a free man. He would be no longer be beholden to Nick. He gazed out at the view of the mountains. No, of course not. They were almost to Enoch, and after that he would probably never see Sam again.

Nick took a deep breath and sank below the surface. He had no idea why now, he suddenly felt cold. It was probably time to get out, anyways. They needed to get started to the rendezvous point. He swam toward the shoreline in slow even strokes.

When he made it back to the camp, Sam was just pulling on his shirt. He gave Nick a smile. Nick chose not to examine why the smile made him feel cold instead of warm.

“Almost ready?” he asked. “We need to get moving.”

“Sure thing,” Sam replied. “I just need to pack up.”

“I’ll take care of the packs, why don’t you eat something.”

Sam happily chatted the rest of the way to the pick-up spot. He asked questions about Torlock’s history and the establishment of the colony. Nick answered each question perfunctorily, but he was lost in his own thoughts. Their return to Enoch loomed before them, and Nick was surprised at uneager he was for their return. He thought about his apartment in Pergamon: the large soft bed, his own kitchen, the view of the sea, the local restaurants. He wondered why it suddenly seemed very cold and empty in his mind.

*-*-*

 

Sam woke up and found the other side of the bed empty, as was becoming usual.  He sighed. He had barely seen Nick in days, actually since their return from their camping trip. He knew Castiel was often busy in meetings planning the celebration on the return to his planet, and he imagined that Nick had to attend those as well, in addition to his usual duties as Captain, but he wondered if this normally took entire days.

Nick only returned to the stateroom late at night, usually after Sam was asleep. He was woken up with warm kisses and sleepy-but-satisfying sex would occur. But Nick would be gone when Sam woke in the morning. There were no more chats over breakfast, or shared showers or any of the rituals that had developed between them.

Sam got up and took a shower, then pulled on his clothes and set out in search for Dean and Castiel. He found them in the dining hall, eating with Jo.

“Sam,” Castiel said. “I am glad you are here. I was just going over the plans for our return to Enoch.”

“Oh, really?” Sam sat, and a steward rushed over with a plate of breakfast. “What’s been decided?”

“I have an apartment in Pergamon that I would like you to use. There is plenty of room for all of you, and it is close by the city center. I would be delighted if you would consider it your home.”

“Thanks, Cas. But I hope I’m not going to be in you guys’ way.” Sam wasn’t exactly thrilled about sharing an apartment with his brother and his new lover, especially considering how demonstrative they had become of late. Even now, he was pretty sure they were playing footsie under the table.

“Oh, I won’t be living there on a regular basis.” Castiel and Dean exchanged a look. “My parents wish me to stay in the Palace at first. I am afraid that they are still nervous after the attempt on my life.”

Sam nodded. “Oh, so just me, Dean, Jo and Ellen?”

“Mom’s not coming,” Jo piped in. She was nicely tanned after her recent visit to the beach with the crew. “Dr. Singer wants her to stay in the hospital on Enoch for a while. They need to monitor her ‘free radical’ levels or something.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Actually, I think he just wants an excuse to spend more time with her.”

Dean grunted in response to that.

“In any case,” Castiel went on, “I consider that to be settled.” He checked off something on the tablet he was holding. “Now we also need to have you all fitted for formal clothes for the arrival party.”

“Arrival party?” Dean asked. “Cas, you didn’t say anything about a party.”

“I am sure I must have, Dean. It’s customary upon completion of a journey like this. My family and the ship’s entire crew will be there.”

“Sounds like quite the shindig.”

“Yes, it will be quite well attended. I have been trying to pin down Captain Lucien to finalize the rest of the details, but I can never seem to catch him.” Castiel looked at Sam. “Do you know a good time to speak to him?”

Sam’s eyebrows rose. So Nick had been ducking Castiel as well. “I haven’t seen him in days, really.”

“Hmmm, I will have to redouble my efforts.” Castiel set the tablet down. “What are everyone’s plans for the rest of the day?”

*-*-*

 

Nick knew he wasn’t going to be able to avoid the prince forever. It was a minor miracle he had lasted this long, but at last Castiel had cornered him in the Officer’s lounge.

“Captain,” Castiel called.

“Your Grace.” Nick went to stand, but Castiel waved him back into his seat. “Did you receive the information you were looking for? I was told Lt. Milton went over the information for the arrival party with you.”

Castiel took a seat beside him. “Yes, she was very capable. I am sure everything will go well.”

“Good.” Nick turned his attention back to the chart in his hand.

Castiel cleared his throat. “I spoke with Sam this morning. He agreed to stay my apartment in Pergamon with his brother once we return.”

Nick made a noncommittal noise and did not look up from the chart.

“I hope you will arrange for the transfer of his personal belongings.”

“Of course.”

“I imagine that it will be difficult for them to build a new life in a strange place, but I intend to do whatever I can for them to be comfortable and content.”

Nick snorted. “That’s quite a task, considering.”

“Yes. I hope you will visit. It will help to have a familiar face in these new surroundings.”

Nick stared out the portal across from him. “That won’t be possible. I intend to get assigned to another ship and be on my way to the Outer Reaches as soon as I can.”

Castiel blinked. “That can’t be the usual procedure, especially after a long journey like this one.”

“No, but it’s where I belong.” Nick stood and walked to the portal and leaned against it. “If the Admiralty had its way, I’d have been chained to a desk long ago. But that’s not what I want.”

There was a pause before Castiel ventured, “Surely there must be positions on Enoch that won’t require you to work at a desk. If you’d like, I could arrange--”

“No,” Nick cut in sharply. “I don’t want any favors.”

“It would not be a favor, Captain,” Castiel said quietly.

Nick shook his head. “I appreciate the… the gesture, but I will be fine. I’ve gotten along most of my life without any outside help.”

Castiel smiled ruefully. “You’ve even dealt admirably with a few setbacks. I am sorry about your legal career.”

“Your Grace, I--”

“No.” Castiel’s voice was firm. “No, Captain, please. Let me have my say, and then, if you wish it, we will never speak of it again.”

Nick found he couldn’t object.

“My father…Well, he has always been rather hot-tempered. Quick to anger, but equally quick to forgive. I am afraid that when he found out about your existence, he acted rashly. He has regretted it ever since. I do know that.”

“He didn’t sound very regretful the last time we spoke,” Nick said bitterly.

Castiel nodded. “That is true. I am sorry. I am sure he is as well.”

“You seem very sure.”

“I am. When I was a teenager, I was working at my father’s desk for some project for my tutor. I was horrendously bored and decided to explore, peeking into my father’s things. In his desk I found several files, all about you. Your school records, your childhood illnesses, even a picture of you as a young child with your mother.” He paused and looked up at Nick. “She was very beautiful.”

Nick was unsettled. “I was under the impression he didn’t know about me until my mother died.”

“Oh, he didn’t. These were all artifacts gathered after that. He is quite proud of you, I believe. When my brother Gabriel was acting out, threatening to leave, he often spoke of how he knew his sons could deal with having everything taken from them and still go forward. Of course, Gabriel didn’t know what he was talking about. I don’t think he was even listening half the time, but…” Castiel swallowed. “But I understood.”

“Your Grace--”

“I think you should call me Castiel, Captain.” He smiled. “At least while we are in private.”

“Castiel,” Nick said. “I appreciate your efforts and your intentions, but I had a family. I don’t need another one.”

“You had a family,” Castiel repeated softly. “I am not trying to take them away from you, just showing you there may be more then you realize. I have always believed that family is not only a link to our past, but also a bridge to our future.”

Nick shook his head. “You’re quite the strange one, Castiel.”

Castiel laughed. “That, my dear Captain, is a bit of an understatement.”

“Nick. You can call me Nick.” He swallowed around the lump in his throat.

Castiel smiled. “Very well. I must be going. I look forward to the party.” He got up and left the room.

Nick turned back to the portal and sighed.


	6. Chapter 6

Pergamon was the most beautiful city that Dean had ever seen. It was set right on the edge of an ocean, and the entire city seemed to be white. Buildings seemed to be artistically carved out of alabaster, adorned with friezes and elaborate portals. Streets curved around the numerous parks and wide lawns. A river cut through the city center, leading out to the sea. Dean took in the view from the top floor of the skyscraper that was Cas’s home when he wasn’t living in the Royal Palace -the royal place that Dean could just make out the high fence around, far on the other side of the city.

Cas’s apartment was a large corner suite in one of the tallest buildings in the city. The furnishings were soft and comfortable and floor to ceiling windows allowed bright sunlight to pool on the thick carpets.

Sam came up behind him. “This is incredible! Can you believe we’re staying here? This is ten times nicer than any place we could have stayed on Earth.”

“More like a thousand times,” Dean muttered. He turned to Sam. “The Winchester brothers finally make good.” He held up the glass he was drinking from in a mock toast.

Sam smirked and turned back to look at the skyline. “Nice to be back on solid ground for a while, at least.”

Dean took another drink and considered Sam’s words. Where was Sam planning to go? For himself, he didn’t plan on every leaving solid ground again. “Yeah.”

“What’s up, Dean? You’ve barely said a word all morning.”

Dean shook his head. “It’s stupid. Just being here, in this city, all these weird-ass cars.” He gestured down to the streets, where the odd oblong vehicles that seemed to be powered by steam puttered about. “I keep thinking about the Impala.”

“The Impala?”

“She’s there, sitting in the parking lot of that dive bar, night after night. Probably got towed to some junkyard and stripped for parts.” Dean swallowed hard. It was ridiculous, given all that they had lost, and all that they had gained, to stand here mourning over the fate of his car. He glanced sideways at Sam. Sam had never fully appreciated the Impala for what she was.

Sam slouched against the window and looked contemplative. “Maybe she got stolen,” he suggested.

Dean barked out a laugh at that.

“Yeah, she’s probably out there aiding and abetting in bank robberies all over the greater Midwest,” Sam went on.

Dean smiled, cheered by the thought. That was a better fate for her than moldering in some junk yard or sold to a collector who would keep her in a showroom.

Sam clapped him on the shoulder. “So, when is Cas coming by?”

“A few hours.” Dean glanced at his brother. Sam was looking in the direction of the Space Embassy place that they had arrived at this morning.

It had been a wretch, watching Cas walk out to meet his family alone. There had been an official welcoming ceremony, followed by a public parade through the streets back to the royal palace. It had been suggested Cas should do that by himself, since it might be a bit overwhelming for Dean to have to deal with that and meet his future in-laws at the same time.

Dean had agreed, he certainly didn’t want to be faced with a public parade on his first day on Enoch, but he didn’t like that Cas was so far away. He was now halfway across the city in the royal compound.

There was a knock at the door, and Sam hurried to answer it. He returned a few minutes later, carrying several garment bags in his hands.

“It’s clothes for tonight for Jo and me.” Sam said. “Where’s your stuff?”

“Cas said we’d get dressed at the palace after I met everyone.”

Sam nodded. “So when should Jo and I leave?”

Dean shrugged. “Not sure. Whenever the car gets here, I guess.” He took another drink.

“Maybe you should go easy on that stuff,” Sam suggested. “Don’t want to be blotto when meeting the new in-laws.”

Dean laughed. “I think being drunk could only improve the situation.

“Come on, you’re the big hero.”

“Yes, indeed.” A voice came from behind both of them, and they turned.

“Cas!” Dean rushed over to take the other man into his arms. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Well, I do have a key.” Cas smiled. “I thought I would bring you over myself. Sam.” He nodded to Sam over Dean’s shoulder.

“Hey, Cas,” Sam said cheerfully, as Dean stepped back. “How was the parade?”

“Exhausting,” Cas sighed. “Hopefully, after tonight, things can start to get back to normal.”

“Whatever that is,” Dean muttered.

Cas interlaced his fingers with Dean’s. “We should probably go. I explained everything to Mother and Father and they are anxious to meet you. Sam, I will see you and Jo at the ceremony tonight.”

“See you then, guys. Good luck.”

“I am going to need it,” Dean predicted.

~*~

It was, Dean reflected later, one of the more agonizing experiences of his life. The car had taken them through the massive gates to the massive palace and they’d had to walk up some massive marble steps, and everything was just… massive.

After they walked about three miles or so through - again - massive corridors, they finally reached what Cas had termed the “family quarters.” In the unsurprisingly massive rooms sat a group of people, all apparently waiting for them. Dean swallowed hard.

Cas didn’t seem that affected. “Mother, Father,” he said addressing the older couple sitting on the couch. Dean recognized them from the viewscreen on the Morningstar and from the pictures Cas had showed him on his tablet. “This is Dean Winchester, from the planet Earth. He saved my life on Uldor and he is my soul mate.” Cas said this all very matter-of-factly.

Dean belatedly realized that they should have discussed this whole thing beforehand. He had no idea what to do now. Should he say something? Bow? What the heck did you do when presented to the parents of someone like Cas? He settled for giving them halfhearted wave, clearing his throat, and saying, “Er, hello.”

Cas’s parents stood, slowly, and Dean wondered if he were about to be hauled off to the dungeons for daring to… whatever with their baby boy.

“Mr. Winchester,” the Queen began. Then she stopped herself. “Well, I guess it will have to be Mr. Winchester for now, anyway.” She turned to her husband. “Do you suppose we have time before the ceremony tonight?”

The King shrugged. “We could do it now, if someone will fetch the sword?”

Sword? Never mind the dungeons, Dean was going to be executed right here. Dean wondered if he should run. “Sword?” he choked out.

The Queen turned back to him and Cas. “Yes, we do need the official sword. Castiel, ring for the butler and ask him to bring it up from the armory.”

Cas actually left his side and went to pull on the brocaded rope hanging by the side of the door. Dean stared at him, bewildered by this seeming betrayal.

The Queen as going on. “Now, where was I?”

“I believe you hadn’t started yet, my dear.”

She turned back to Dean. “Oh, yes. Mr. Winchester, we are forever in your debt for saving the life of our beloved son, and I would like to take this opportunity, as the reigning monarch of the House of Enoch to welcome you into our family. And what else?” She lifted a finger to her chin, then shook her head. “Oh, bother, there’s a lot of other things I’m supposed to say, about our glorious lineage and all that, but it all nonsense. Come here, my dear.”

Dean was prodded forward a few steps by a Cas’s sharp elbow in his back. The Queen took a step forward and flung her arms around him. “Oh, you poor thing5! Castiel told us of what you suffered. The hardships you and your brother had to endure!” She pulled back. “Is he here, by the way, we will have to meet him as well… Anyway, you are very brave. You must take very good care of our Castiel, now, won’t you?”

“Mother,” Castiel protested.

The Queen was still going on. The King stepped forward and extended his hand. Dean shook it. “Very quick thinking back on Uldor, we saw the footage. If you’d been just a half second later--”

The Queen shuddered. “As I said, we are forever in your debt.”

“Um, well…” Dean struggled for something to say. This warm welcome had unnerved him even more than the expected disapproval.

“Castiel, your brothers should be here soon. We should probably sit down and discuss Gabriel’s wedding. After Michael’s elopement, we need to have a spectacle.” She eyed Dean speculatively. “Perhaps a double wedding?”

Dean felt the blood drain from his face.

Castiel came to his rescue. “Mother, I think we need to allow Dean to become accustomed to our lifestyle before we subject him to any public displays.”

The Queen considered it for a moment. “I suppose you’re right. We will need to ease him into some public appearances.” She smiled brightly. “Tonight will be a good start. Actually, we should incorporate the knighting ceremony into the festivities tonight.”

Dean’s eyes widened. “A knighthood?”

“Of course, for you and your brother as well. You did save a prince’s life. Now let’s everyone sit down. Tea will be served soon and we can go over the arrangements.”

*~*

About half an hour later, Dean excused himself and stepped into the hallway amid the discussion. Well, this had not gone as he expected. He leaned back, probably against some ancient tapestry that over a thousand years old that would come tumbling down on his head any moment.

The sound of boots echoing down the hallway distracted him from his thoughts.

“Trust Cas to hook up with some alien from a backwater planet no one’s ever heard of. So what’s your read on this guy? Some kind of mercenary? A con artist?”

“I haven’t met him yet,” a low voice growled in response. “I’ve only heard the same things you have. And he did save our brother’s life.”

“How do we know he wasn’t involved in the attempt in the first place? Set it up to make himself look like a hero?”

Dean’s eyebrows rose at this description of himself. Well, at least someone in this family was suspicious and paranoid.

“That would be a scheme worthy of you, but apparently not possible. He hadn’t left the ship in the time the visit was set up.”

“Still.” The voices were coming closer. “I don’t know what the rush is to knight this nobody from… what’s it called? Frith?

“Earth, actually.” The entire group turned as Dean stepped forward. Two men, one about a foot taller than the other, were followed by two woman. “And the name’s Dean Winchester, by the way.” He stuck out his hand. The rest of the group stared at him blankly for a moment. “Sorry, I’m not exactly up on the protocol.”

There was another beat before the tall one stepped forward and shook Dean’s hand. “I’m Michael, Castiel’s oldest brother. This is my wife, Pamela, my other brother, Gabriel, and his fiancée, Lilith.”

Gabriel shook Dean’s hand as well. Pamela, however, kissed him on the cheek, her long dark hair brushing against his cheeks. Lilith, a platinum blond, only gave Dean an icy nod.

“Well, Deano,” Gabriel said cheerily, “You are clearly the man of the hour. Far be it for us to rain on your moment in the sun. But we would be remiss not to welcome you into the family without saying,” he paused and glanced around, “you hurt our brother, and the depths of hell itself will not be able to contain the suffering we will bring down on your head. You understand me?”

Michael nodded solemnly beside him. “That goes for all of us.”

Dean nodded. This was a bit more of what he had been expecting. “Got it.”

“Great. Welcome to the family.” Gabriel slapped him on the shoulder so hard Dean fought to contain his wince. “Now, have they served tea yet? I’m starving.” He strode past Dean and into the family quarters.

~*~

The rest of the afternoon was spent discussing the evening’s ceremonies. Thankfully, there were no more threats against Dean’s person. Finally everyone was sent to rest up for the evening and to get dressed. Cas pulled Dean into his rooms.

Dean smirked as he took the room in. “And I thought your digs at the other place were fancy.” The walls here were adorned with tapestries and a huge oil painting depicting someone on a horse in front of an army. “Who’s the guy with the beard?”

“What?” Cas’s voice echoed from what Dean assumed was a bathroom. When he emerged, Dean gestured towards the painting. “Oh, that’s my great-great- great -grandfather, Hesediel. His defeat of Lord Azazel’s uprising is one of the more famous points in our history.”

Dean shook his head. “Quite the family you have, Cas.”

“Yes, well, they are your family now, too.” Cas walked over to him and wrapped his arms around Dean’s shoulders. He placed a quick kiss on his lips. “Now, why don’t you take a quick shower before getting dressed?” He shepherded Dean into the well-appointed bathroom. The huge marble tub caught Dean’s eye. “Nice tub. It looks big enough for two.”

Cas grinned. “Later. We need to get ready or we’re going to be late.” He pushed Dean into the shower. After a quick scrub and rinse, Dean wandered back out into the bedroom. Cas was nowhere to be found, but what he assumed to be his clothes were laid out on the bed.

Formal attire on Enoch seemed to consist of a long, loose-fitting jacket over a very tight shirt. Skin-tight, almost. The shirt was also oddly cut, with a wide neck that left most of his clavicle bare. Dean thought he had it on backwards at first, and changed it twice. At least the pants were fairly straightforward, thought the legs were more flared than he liked.

“Dean, are you almost ready?”

Dean turned, and his brain nearly short circuited. “What the hell are you wearing?”

Cas had on a long jacket similar to Dean’s, though his shirt was cut higher. But in place of the wide legged pants, Cas was wearing breeches. Skin-tight breeches that were tucked into high boots.

“I am afraid this is the traditional formalwear for royals. A bit outdated, but mother loves the classic lines. Your clothing is much trendier, as the current fashions go.”

Dean couldn’t take his eyes off Cas. “Shit.”

“What’s wrong?”

Dean’s brain was having trouble processing words. “Cas,” he finally bit out. “Cas, you can’t wear that tonight.”

Cas stared at him. “Why ever not? Do you not like the colors?”

“The colors?... No, those pants. They’re way too tight.”

Cas looked confused. “Well, they are supposed to be rather snug. How else would I get my boots on over them?”

“Why would you wear your boots over your pants?”

The corner of Cas’s lip twitched. “Well, it’s the style.”

“Cas,” Dean finally managed to hiss out. “I’m not going to be able to think about… anything tonight with you in those pants.”

Cas outright grinned at him. “Dean, I had no idea you would be so affected. I mean, you have seen me naked--”

“That’s not the point! God.”

“Maybe you just need to take the edge off.”

“The edge…what?”

Cas had already slid to his knees and was pulling open the fly of Dean’s pants. Dean’s cock, already half-hard from the sight of Cas in those pants, hardened further as Cas drew him out and stroked him slowly.

“I thought you said we were going to be late?” Dean gasped a bit desperately.

Cas pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the base of Dean’s cock. “What the hell…” Another kiss. “I am the guest of honor. They can wait for me.”

“Cas,” Dean groaned. With those bright blue eyes gazing up at him, Dean’s toes were curling in his boots.

Cas tugged the pants down, and reached up and fondled Dean balls. He then swallowed Dean’s cock and sucked.

“Gah.” Dean had no other choice than to desperately grip Cas’s shoulders and hang on for the ride.

Thirty minutes later, Dean and Cas hurried down the stairs. “This is all your fault,” Dean hissed.

“Dean, I was only doing what I thought was best. You couldn’t suffer through dinner in that state,” Cas replied sedately.

They caught sight of Jo and Sam waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

“Where the hell have you guys been?”

“Dean needed some help in getting dressed,” Cas informed them.

“Yeah, help.” Dean gave them a sheepish grin.

“Oh god, I don’t want to know,” Sam groaned. “Let’s just go.”

They headed into the formal hall.

~*~

Sam sighed as he pushed through the crowds of people in the ballroom. He had actually spent half of night on the same stage as Nick, but he still hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to him. After the initial welcome home ceremony, Nick had been drawn into a confab with a bunch of military officers with a huge amount of medals on their chests. Sam himself had been pulled into a bunch of pointless introductions. And now Sam could not find Nick anywhere.

Sam turned and walked out onto the massive portico. It had been set up with a large bar serving a multitude of colored drinks, as well as tables and chairs. People were milling around, enjoying the fresh cool air. Sam felt relieved to be escaping the stifling heat of the ball room.

“Sam!” A man’s voice called his name.

Sam turned. Dean was back in the ballroom with Cas, Jo was hanging out with the officers from the ship, and he couldn’t think of anyone else here who would know him.

A young man with blond hair was approaching him. He took two flutes of bubbly wine from a passing waiter and handed one to Sam. “I was hoping I run into you.” He tapped his glass against Sam’s. “Welcome home.”

Sam blinked. “Mike?” he asked incredulously. He could barely recognize the skinny young man from the club in the spaceport.

Mike grinned. “Clean up okay, don’t I?” He spun around, showing off his formalwear.

Sam grinned. “Much better.” It was nice to see another familiar face.

“Anyway, I am glad to run into you. Heard you might be working with us soon.”

“What? Sorry, I don’t follow?”

“Oh, Harvey said Nick asked him if there were any open positions that you might fit into. He said you were studying to be a lawyer back on your own planet.”

“He did?”

Mike nodded. “And there is a paralegal training program starting up next month. Harvey’s already put your name down. If you’re interested, that is.”

Sam was taken aback by this revelation. “Wow. That’s great, Mike. Really, I’m honored, but I don’t know anything about Enochian law.”

Mike waved that away. “Not needed. They’ll teach you want you need to know in the program.” He took a sip of his champagne. “I mean,” he went on hurriedly, “It’s not going to be very exciting stuff. At least not at first. Just a lot of reading and reviewing, correcting typos, updating summaries and looking up precedents, that sort of thing.”

Mike might have thought he was talking down the position, but Sam felt thrilled. An actual job that he could use to support himself, without depending on Castiel’s largesse? “That sounds amazing.”

Mike grinned. “Our firm is really great, too. Wait till you see it, the first time I was there…”

Mike went on and Sam soaked up all the information Mike told him about the firm, the people and the work.

Harvey had made his way over to them and wrapped an arm around Mike’s waist. “Now, don’t go scaring him off already.”

“He couldn’t scare me off. Thank you so much.”

Harvey waved away his thanks. “Not a problem at all. It’s clear you’d be an asset.”

“And Harvey’s all about assets,” Mike put in, rolling his eyes a bit.

“I have a good track record.” Harvey pressed his lips to Mike’s temple, and Mike blushed.

Clearly whatever had been simmering between them had boiled over and been resolved. Sam figured it was about time to make his excuses. “Have you seen Nick? I would like to thank him myself.”

Harvey raised his eyebrows. “He left about an hour ago. I was surprised to see you still here.”

And with that, the warm feeling was gone as quickly as if he’d been dunked in ice water. “Fuck,” he swore under his breath. Well, that was that.

“Something wrong, Sam?” Mike asked.

“No,” Sam bit out. He forced himself to relax. “Just reading the writing on the wall, I guess. He’s been avoiding me for weeks.” He downed the rest of his champagne.

“Oh,” Harvey said. The corner of his mouth twisted. “Nick’s… not really good at emotional scenes. Especially good-byes.”

“Yeah, but I was kind of hoping that it wouldn’t be,” Sam replied bitterly.

Mike and Harvey both looked confused at that.

“That it wouldn’t be a good-bye,” Sam clarified belatedly. It occurred to him that he shouldn’t be moping about Nick to one of his best friends. “Well, I better go—“

Mike reached out and grabbed his arm. “Sam, wait a minute.”

Sam waited.

“You care about him.”

Sam shook his head. “I get attached. But it’s clear he’s not interested in anything else.”

Mike and Harvey seemed to be having an argument using only their eyes, and man, Sam was sick of being a third party to those conversations. After a few awkward moments of silence, Harvey turned to him and said, “He cares about you Sam. A lot. I could tell that from the moment we met. The fact that he hiding from you is proof. If he didn’t have any feelings for you he’d have any problem saying goodbye to you.”

“I’ve just wanted to talk to him about maybe seeing each other again. But he wouldn’t even let me do that.”

“It’s hard to corner a man on his own ship,” Harvey sighed. “Okay, he’s at the Serapis House. It’s all the way down the end of this street, towards the water. Suite Six.” He pulled out his wallet and extracted two brightly colored banknotes. “Give this to the doorman, tell him you’re a guest of Captain Lucien’s and you ‘lost your key.’ He’ll let you in.” Harvey glanced at the man beside him. “Don’t let him push you away,” he concluded with a smile.

Sam nearly sagged in relief. “Thank you,” he said sincerely, before turning and heading for the door.

*^*

Nick swallowed what was left in the glass and poured himself another. He glanced once again at the letter in his hand. This should be one of the high points of his career, but now… He crumpled the letter in his fist and dropped it on the floor as he slumped into his chair. It was all worthless now. He stared out at the pounding waves.

He took another swallow of his drink and thought back over the evening.

With the announcement of Prince Castiel’s betrothal, Sam and Jo had both excited considerable interest in the upper social circle. Young, good-looking people with tragic pasts who were now intimates of the Royal Family. They’d both be highly sought after. Nick smiled bitterly at the thought of reading about Sam’s latest love interests in the tabloid press, or having to socialize with him at public events. Salt in the wound, indeed.

Dimly, he heard the door to his suite open. Before he could wonder about that he heard Sam’s voice calling out, “Hello?”

He lurched to his feet. Rather unsteadily, he noticed, grabbing the railing. He must have had more than he thought. But it wasn’t even halfway how much he needed, not with Sam coming toward him, still wearing that ridiculous formal wear.

“What are you doing here?”

Sam was looking around the room and gave a low whistle. “Nice place.”

“How did you get in here?”

Sam smirked. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.” The smile unnerved Nick. He glanced back at the balcony, wondering if perhaps he was still passed out on it and this was all an alcohol induced fantasy.

“So, are you going to offer me a drink? Looks like you started without me.”

Nick gestured to the glasses set up on the sideboard. “Help yourself.” He staggered back out onto the balcony.

A moment later, Sam came out and sat down in the chair beside him. He reached for the bottle and poured himself a measure of ambrosia. They both sat there in silence for a while, listening to the waves crashing on the shore.

Eventually, Sam cleared his throat. “So, Cas got us set up in his place. It’s really nice, called the… Something Tower, isn’t it?”

“Aeolis Tower.” Nick smiled bitterly. “Only the most exclusive address in Pergamon. Besides the Royal Palace, of course.”

“Right. You should stop by sometime.”

“It’s a little above my social sphere, Sam.” Nick took another swig of his drink. “Or should I say ‘Sir Winchester’? Anyway, I am sure you’ll be too busy with your new social status to worry about me.”

“What do you mean?” Sam picked up the crumpled pieces of paper around his feet. “Hey, what’s this?”

Nick sighed. Part of him wanted to tell Sam it was none of his business, but he answered anyway. “It’s a letter offering me a position on the High Admiralty Court.”

Sam whistled. “Sounds impressive.”

“It is. It’s a very high-profile position. I’m not going to accept it, though.”

“Why not?” Sam looked at him incredulously. “Do you think your… Do you think the King had something to do with it?”

“As some kind of belated apology? I suppose it’s possible, but I doubt it. The admiral who presented it to me said my name has been in consideration for a while.”

“Then why would you turn it down?”

He sighed. “Look, Sam, our arrangement is over. It’s probably for the best if we don’t see each other again.” He set his drink on the table and filled it again. “Besides, I am sure a time will come in the future when you don’t want to be reminded of me or anything about our association.”

Sam felt his cheeks flush. “So what?” he asked, a touch angrily. “I shared your bed for six months and I don’t even get a ‘So long and good luck’?”

“I doubt you are going to need luck, Sam.” Nick picked up his glass again. “You’re practically going to be a member of the royal family. Every opportunity will be open to you. Surely you realized that tonight.”

“If that’s true, why did you bother asking an old friend to find me a job?”

Nick shrugged. “Just thought you would like to have that option.”

Sam sat forward. “I am. I think that’s great. I have no interest in being some idle member of the upper class who sits around and does nothing all day. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.” Nick turned back and looked out at the sea. “It’s the least I could do.”

Sam was once again confused. “So why are you leaving?”

“I blackmailed you into sexual slavery. Looking back now, I can hardly imagine it.”

“Well, yeah,” Sam mused. “You certainly weren’t motivated by the kind benevolence that Castiel was.” He smirked even as Nick looked away. “It’s my fault for being so hot.”

“Don’t joke about it,” Nick snapped.

“Look, I’m sorry you’re having such a delayed crisis of conscience. I don’t see how avoiding me is going to make you feel any better about it. Nor is exiling yourself to the outer reaches.”

“Sam, I don’t know how you can talk so casually about this.”

Sam stood up and walked so he was standing directly in front of him. “Well, the way I see it, if you hadn’t bought me, if you hadn’t been so taken by my stunning good looks,” Sam paused to give him a cheeky grin. “I would have been left back on that slave market on god knows where. Sure, once Dean woke up, he would have made Cas go back for me, but, it’s doubtful I’d still be there.” Sam frowned for a moment. “In fact, Dean might not even have remembered I was with him. It’s possible he would have thought I was back on Earth, happy at Stanford Law. I could have been lost, a slave in the galaxy forever.”

Nick could not help the twitch in his cheek at that thought. Sam, out there, alone. At the mercy of the Grimwelds and whoever was the highest bidder. His fists clenched.

Sam gave him a knowing look. “You can’t tell me that wouldn’t have happened.”

“That still doesn’t make what I did to you acceptable.”

Sam swung around and settled himself into Nick’s lap. “Tell me, Nick. Look into my eyes right now and tell me that you have no feelings for me other than guilt, and I‘ll leave right now and leave you in peace.”

“Get off me.” Nick froze, he couldn’t move.

“Make me.” Sam grinned. He knew Nick, even as drunk as he appeared, could dump him off his lap with very little effort.

“I don’t know what you want, Sam.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Sam placed his hands on Nick’s shoulders and gyrated his hips. “A smart guy like you should be able to figure it out.”

“Sam.” Nick gripped his hips to stop him from moving. “I am not sure you are going to want that. Think about your position here.”

“My position?” Sam looked down at their lower bodies with a grin. “I like my position.”

“I am talking about your reputation.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “What? You don’t want to be seen with me in public?”

“That’s not it--”

“I doubt I am going to be that interesting to people.”

Nick smiled ruefully. “I think you are vastly underestimating yourself. God, I would rather captain a garbage scow on the edge of a black hole than have to read about you in the gossip rags constantly.”

Sam smiled. “So is that why you’re leaving. Can bear to hear about me? I thought you didn’t care.”

“Care?” Nick snorted. “I think you were the worst thing I could have ever done to myself, teaching me to want things I can’t have.”

“But you can have them. I’m here. There’s nothing to stop you, except your own guilt.”

Their lips met. This kiss was different from any other that they had shared. There was no obligation, no frantic lust but warmth, forgiveness and love. It felt like a benediction, an absolution.

Nick pulled back. “You want this, Sam? You’re sure? You want me in your life?”

Sam smiled. “What do you think?” He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Nick’s.”

Nick wrapped his hands around Sam’s wrists. “I’m not sure I could handle it if you changed your mind, Sam. If you’re not sure, better to part ways now, let me go now.”

Sam cocked his head speculatively. “What, so you can punished yourself on your own?”

“I wasn’t punishing myself. I was running away like a coward. I didn’t think I could handle being here on Enoch, constantly hearing about you.” Nick shook his head.

Sam ducked his head down and captured Nick’s lips again.

“You still feel guilty.”

“I do.”

“Maybe, you should try to make it up to me.” Sam shifted on Nick’s lap again, grinding their hips together.

“And how would I do that?” Nick’s voice was rough.

Sam pursed his mouth in thought. “Well, dinner to start.”

“Dinner?”

“To start. Maybe dinner twice a week. And you could take me shopping. Backrubs three times a week. Camping trips on occasion. Oh, and sex of course. I’ll expect to top at least fifty percent of the time.” He laughed as he felt Nick’s hips jerk in automatic reaction to that. “Glad to see you don’t object to that.”

Nick sighed, and leaned up to place a kiss on Sam’s neck. “Well, it’s clear you are going to be demanding.”

“Well, I am practically a brother-in-law to Royalty.” Sam grinned down at him. “Maybe you should consider taking some sort of high-ranking job with the Admiralty. So you can keep me in the manner to which I will become accustomed.”

Nick kissed him again. “I’ll see what I can do.”


	7. Epilogue

_*One Year Later*_

Dean’s boots pounded across the cobblestones as he hurried across the square and through the gates to the royal compound. He nodded to the guard who opened the gate for him and jogged up the steps to the entrance.

The butler pulled open the door as he approached it.

“Thanks, Edils,” Dean said. As he walked in he turned to the other man. “How late am I?” he asked conspiratorially.

“Not at all, Sir. They haven’t even gone in yet.”

“Excellent.” Dean took a few steps then spun around. “Is your little one feeling any better?”

“Oh, much Sir,” The butler smiled. “Back to her old self.”

“Glad to hear it.” Dean turned and bounded up the stairs.

He hurried down the hallway and into the sitting room. It was clear he had not missed anything.

The King and Queen were at one end of the room, deep in discussion with some visiting dignitary Dean couldn’t place.

Sam was seated on the sofa in the middle of the room, cooing over the latest addition to the royal line, while the youngest prince’s proud mother looked on. Lilith may not be married to the crown prince, but she had scored her own coup of sorts when she delivered the first royal grandchild. Everyone adored the baby, who was very generous with his smiles.

It seemed to have even settled any lingering hostilities between her and Pam, and the two were now fast friends. They were both seated on either side of Sam, chatting. Probably about the latest court gossip.

The baby let out a small cry, but Sam quickly bounced him back to giggles and smiles. Dean wondered if Sam was considering having kids at some point. He certainly seemed to be smitten with the baby. And since Nick seemed to be permanently stuck in the “whatever Sam wants” phase of their relationship, he was unlikely to have any objections.

Dean glanced at Nick, who seemed to be in serious discussion with Cas’s eldest brother Michael, probably about something to do with Enoch’s military. Or their legal code. Or anything else, really. Those two had seemingly hit it off.

The King had apparently told the Queen the truth about Nick’s parentage. It was now considered somewhat of an open secret in the palace, but was never mentioned publically. The Queen had never been anything but gracious and welcoming to Nick, but she had been prone to remark rather archly, when he was out of earshot, how young he looked for his age.

Gabriel was in the wing chair near the sofa, tossing treats to the royal family’s dog. He caught Dean’s eye and gestured to the balcony. Dena nodded gratefully and headed in that direction.

There, he found what he was looking for. Cas was standing on the balcony, staring out at the sea. The wind ruffled his hair. Dean’s heart ached just at the sight of him. It had been over a year, and sometimes Dean still couldn’t believe Cas was his. He crept up behind Cas and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“Hey there,” he whispered.

“Dean,” Cas exclaimed. “I wasn’t sure you’d make it back.”

“Come on, you know how much I love this formal lunch do’s your parents put on.”

He tucked his chin over Cas's shoulder.

Cas snorted. “I know you love the food. So, how did it go today?”

Dean smiled and kissed his neck. “We got the foundation poured.”

Cas turned in his arms. “Ahead of schedule? That’s wonderful!”

Dean was pretty pleased. Since Sam was wrapped up with his own job, Cas suggested that Dean get involved with some of the royal families numerous charity work. A new royal hospital had been commissioned and Dean had thrown himself into the project, trying to help in whatever way he could.

“Dr. Singer should be pleasantly surprised when he and Ellen return from Torlock next week.”

Dean snorted. “He’ll find something to complain about. Jo will be happy when they get back, though. I don’t think she likes running the clinic all by herself.”

The gong sounded, signaling that lunch was being served. He heard the chatter from inside as everyone headed into the dining room. He and Cas stayed as they were for a few minutes, soaking in the sea air. Soon Cas turned and tugged Dean behind him. “Come on, Dean.”

Dean smiled, and went to go join the rest of their family.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is taken from the poem _Fate, the Jester_ by Arthur Guiterman.
> 
> Wow, it has been a year and a half since I first started this story. Thank you so much for reading and I apologize for the lengthy delays! I owe huge thanks to SpaceBabe for her great beta work.


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